Emotion Over Accuracy

Expressionists distorted reality on purpose, to reach a truth a photograph can't hold. They stretched faces, tilted rooms, and chose colors with no link to what the eye actually sees.

Take color. A green-tinged face isn't a mistake — it signals sickness or dread. A sky in clashing orange and violet says the moment felt overwhelming, not that the light was really like that. The distortion is the message, not a flaw in the craft.