Oskar Kokoschka

Happy Birthday Oskar Kokoschka!! Austrian painter born in 1886, Expressionist Oskar Kokoschka provided a clear link between Symbolism and Expressionism. He began as a draughtsman and worked at Der Sturm, an Expressionist magazine for which Kokoschka provided an artistic portfolio. He was influenced by the Brucke (a group of German Expressionists) and taught for a time at the Dresden Academy. He painted primarily portraits and landscapes from a bird’s eye view. Kokoschka was forced to flee Austria to Prague after the Nazis determined he was a threat and then left there for England. He eventually settled in Switzerland for the rest of his life, but he remained deeply affected by the war.