The expressionist

The novella The Expressionist centres on the development of an Australian boy living in rural and regional areas, and his coming of age into a realm of artistic and creative tendencies. The story involves loss, sadness, physical, spiritual and artistic growth. Humour and spiritual conflict associated with the development into an artist, the artistic genre in the framework of the Bildungsroman and Kunstlerroman as well the desire to participate or be in the world offering so many variables for the individual human being on their chosen journey. The Expressionist is written with the understanding that life, and all it entails, suggests that we as human beings are able and willing to accomplish, overcome and establish an individual path. This is possible despite the many and varied challenges associated with growing up: spirituality, relationships, life choices, artistic practice, emotional stability and the attitude of society towards those who choose ‘the path less taken’. The protagonist of The Expressionist works towards an understanding of self through conditioned individual experience; however idealistic the notion of truth and hope is in the protagonist’s way of thinking, and what is experienced, his aim is to accept and understand better the process by which he lives. The artist, by embracing rurality in their artistic approach provides the opportunity to express positive interpretations of hope and individuality in its simplest form. Therefore, the argument within this exegesis is that the simple and the rural are uniquely placed within the realm of artistic expression.