| Expressionism | Post-Expressionism |
ecstatic objects | plain objects |
| many religious themes | few religious themes |
| the stifled object | the explanatory object |
| rhythmic | representative |
| arousing | engrossing |
| excessive | rather strict, purist |
| dynamic | static |
| loud | quiet |
| summary | sustained |
| obvious | obvious and enigmatic |
| close-range image | close- and long-range image |
| forward moving | also flowing backward |
| large size | large size and many-columned |
| monumental | miniature |
| warm | cool to cold |
| thick coloration | thin layer of color |
| roughened | smoothed, dislodged |
| like uncut stone | like polished metal |
| work process preserved | work process effaced |
| leaving traces | pure objectification |
| expressive deformation of objects | harmonic cleansing of objects |
| rich in diagonals | rectangular to the frame |
| often acute-angled | parallel |
| working against edges of image | fixed within edges of image |
| primitive | civilized |
Source of English translation: Franz Roh, “Post-Expressionist Schema” (1925), in The Weimar Republic Sourcebook, edited by Anton Kaes, Martin Jay, and Edward Dimendberg. © 1994 Regents of the University of California. Published by the University of California Press, p. 493. Reprinted with permission of the University of California Press. Source of original German text: Franz Roh, Nach-Expressionismus, Magischer Realismus. Probleme der neuesten europäischen Malerei. Leipzig: Klinkhardt und Biermann, 1925, p. 119-20.