We finished up the Post-Impressionist section with the rest of Paul Gauguin’s works Perau Api and The Vision After the Sermon. Gauguin’s canvases transported us to exotic locales and mythical realms, challenging the boundaries of what art could depict. I was taken by Gustave Moreau’s elaborate canvases, such as The Apparition stood in sharp contrast to Edvard Munch’s raw, psychological intensity in The Scream which represented the Symbolist obsession with dread and existential sorrow. Also the background story of the cloudy ash skies from the volcano was a new to me. Both artists utilized their work to investigate the deep depths of the human mind and the secrets of the subconscious. For me, the most intriguing aspect of the lesson was learning about the differences between the two German Expressionist groups, Die Brücke (The Bridge) and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). Die Brücke, established by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, and others, adopted a rough, angular aesthetic that mirrored the harsh reality of modern urban life. In contrast, Der Blaue Reiter, led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, developed a more abstract, spiritual style that employed color and shape to express emotion and inner life. Seeing these two contrasting trajectories within Expressionism was eye-opening, highlighting the movement’s complexity and diversity.