DER BLAUE REITER

Der Blaue Reiter -means the blue rider- started in 1911 in December as a Expressionist German art movement by Kadinsky, Klee, Marc, and Macke.  Painters Kandinsky and Marc worked on an almanac in which they showed their artistic conceptions. The title of the almanac, which then became the name of the group.It came from one of the Kandinsky's painting.
  The Blue Rider-1903-Wassily Kandinsky


The Blue Riders believed that colors, shapes and forms had relationship with sounds and music, and sought to create color harmonies which would be purifying to the soul. Although in this very earliest works, the impressionistic influence was recognizable, the artists who took part in The Blue Rider were considered to be the pioneers of abstract art or abstract expressionism.The Der Blaue Reiter artists were trying to find spiritual truths that they felt impressionists had not conveyed. 


The group was disrupted by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. As a result this movement was lasted for 3 years.




*http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/c20th/blauereiter.htm