In the second decade of the twentieth century the cultural life of Germany was transformed by the emergence of Expressionism a series of vigorous youthful artistic movements which were to exert a lasting influence on modern culture. In the same decade a young Swiss pastor called Karl Barth began a theological revolution laying the foundations for probably the most influential body of Christian theology in the modern age. Some relationship between these two revolutions has long been assumed by scholars yet it has never been examined in detail. The first part of this study addresses this omission offering the most detailed analysis to date of the important relationship between Barth and Expressionism. The second part of the book takes a broader look at both Barths theology and Expressionist culture considering the relevance of the Enlightenment as a context for both. The key to this is a detailed discussion of Barths own analysis of the Enlightenment in his neglected book Protestant Theology in the Nineteenth Century. Barths view is also compared with Alasdair MacIntyres treatment of the Enlightenment in After Virtue. The examination of these two contexts German Expressionism and the Enlightenment yields valuable insights into Barths entire theological project.