Abstract
Imaging of urban landscape changed together with the changing identities of modern cities and their inhabitants at the beginning of the 20th century. In the works of expressionists motif of cities were featured as a chaotic condition before the storm, which carries a potential source of internal unrest and the possibility of war.
Modern city opened the way to a new aesthetic that was not only based on beauty but also on anxiety and fear. Author of the article focuses primarily on the work of the German Jewish expressionist painter Ludwig Meidner, which dealt with urban theme lifelong.
His first paintings of apocalyptic urban landscapes were created two years before the beginning of the First World War and paintings in a similar way appeared in Meidner's creation in the coming years based on his life experiences during both world wars.