He chose to paint the world around him, as he considered it a more idyllic lifestyle. Van Gogh led the way to expressionistic tradition in which feeling is the main subject rather than the apperance of objects. Rodin chose to confront both the positve and negative aspects of humanity. He used variations of light and movement to show sobtle expressions and heighten the sense of light and movement. He is said to unify art and drama.
Cubism is the complete flattening of space and the use of blocks of color.
It takes a subject and reduces it to an almost primitive form, and eleminates depth. Thus, the images are distorted, rather than realistic. This allowed for a more subjective view of the work, setting the stage for abstract. While the previous styles were more realistic and dealt with more serious themes, Expressionism gave artists a new perspective. Expressionists' primary subject was his or her feelings, and gave artists a chance to express themselves in different ways.