Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
EXPRESSIONIST STYLE
While “expressionist” is used to describe any art that avoids naturalism and instead employs a bold use of flattened forms and intense brushwork, Expressionist art formally describes early-20th-century work from Europe that drew on Symbolism and confronted issues such as urbanization and capitalism. Expressionist artists experimented in paintings and prints with skewed perspectives, abstraction and unconventional, bright colors to portray how isolating and anxious the world felt rather than how it appeared.
Between 1905 and 1920, Austrian and German artists, in particular, were inspired by Postimpressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh in their efforts to strive for a new authenticity in their work. In its geometric patterns and decorative details, Expressionist art was also marked by eclectic sources like German and Russian folk art as well as tribal art from Africa and Oceania, which the movement’s practitioners witnessed at museums and world’s fairs.
Groups of artists came together to share and promote the themes now associated with Expressionism, such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) in Dresden, which included Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and investigated alienation and the dissolution of society in vivid color. In Munich, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, instilled Expressionism with a search for spiritual truths. In his iconic painting The Scream, prolific Norwegian painter Edvard Munch conveyed emotional turmoil through his depiction of environmental elements, such as the threatening sky.
Expressionism shifted around the outbreak of World War I, with artists using more elements of the grotesque in reaction to the escalation of unrest and violence. Printmaking was especially popular, as it allowed artists to widely disseminate works that grappled with social and political issues amid this time of upheaval. Although the art movement ended with the rise of Nazi Germany, where Expressionist creators were labeled “degenerate,” the radical ideas of these artists would influence Neo-Expressionism that emerged in the late 1970s with painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.
Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
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Style: Expressionist
Flowers Cannes, 2000s
Located in Quogue, NY
Watercolor on paper
Category
Early 2000s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Golden Dawn
Located in Wainscott, NY
Part of the "Silver Linings" Collection, dreamy morning tree trunks with morning glints of sun showing through. Pale/mat Acrylic Gouache cut into the background to calm the color blo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache
Hot Day
Located in Wainscott, NY
Part of a collection of "Silver Linings" Works on Paper. Loose fluid Tree's, Landscapes and Waterfalls dapple the page, and held down by pale/mat Acrylic Gouache cut into the forms. ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache
Ben ZIon Expressionist Judaica Rabbi Watercolor Painting Jewish Modernist WPA
Located in Surfside, FL
Frame measures 13.5 X 11.5
Paper measures 6.5 X 4 inches
Hand signed lower right
Watercolor painting of prophet or Rabbi, Judaica artwork
Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated h...
Category
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Ben ZIon Expressionist Judaica Rabbi Watercolor Painting Jewish Modernist WPA
Located in Surfside, FL
Frame measures 13.5 X 11.5
Paper measures 6.5 X 5 inches
Hand signed lower right
Watercolor painting of prophet or Rabbi, Judaica artwork
Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated h...
Category
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Black Ink on white paper, Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Painting
Located in Carballo, ES
Black And White Minimal Painting is an original artwork realized by TUSET in 2020. We can frame it in natural wood on request.
The title of this works is "From the Apollonian picto...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Handmade Paper
The Gift
Located in Columbia, MO
ARTHUR KRAFT
The Gift
Watercolor and ink on paper
21 x 27.5 inches
Framed: 25 x 31.75 inches
Category
20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
Une Danse, Original Work on Paper, Ink, Acrylic
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Acrylic, Ink, Pastel and collage on paper - Original Work on Paper.
The work is in very good condition and is signed lower Right "Patricia R.".
Unfortunately we have no further info...
Category
1990s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel, Archival Ink, Acrylic
"As I Waste Time on Earth, " Oil Pastel Abstract Landscape by Reginald K. Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"As I Waste Time on Earth" is an original oil pastel drawing on rag board by Reginald K. Gee. The artist signed it on the back. This piece depictts two faces in the lower left, two f...
Category
1990s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Oil Pastel, Board, Rag Paper
Prize Blade 1, abstract male nude, expressionist brushwork, dark, monochromatic
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Monotype
Dramatic imagery from Tom Bennett’s series of monotypes, blending surrealistic mindscapes with stark realism
About Tom Bennett:
With quick brushstrokes, Tom Bennett creates representational images of human figures and animals, emphasizing movement in a manner reminiscent of Lucien Freud, Edgar Degas and the photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Elongated and blurry, the horse racing up a hill (Canter Fritz, 2002) and the sinister cat landing a leap (Chien Blanc, 1998) elicit a sense of foreboding enhanced by Bennett’s somber palette; his female figures too reflect a grim sense of humor with their distorted nude bodies. The face of Untitled Figure (1997), for example, is obscured by layers of dark paint. Classically trained as a painter, he initially worked in oil on canvas but discovered that monotype printing enabled him to “literally push the image around,” creating an essential element of motion. To overcome the limited scale of monotypes, however, he switched to painting on slick-surfaced plastic.
Tom Bennett’s practice is rooted in the classical tradition where painting and drawing from life is highly regarded. Bennett’s work is heavily influenced by Francis Bacon, Frank Auberbauch and foremost his father, Harry Bennett, who was also an artist. Tom’s time living abroad in Spain and traveling through Eastern Europe and Africa provided the artistic freedom to explore many of the techniques and subject matter that continue to define his practice. Bennett was born and raised in Connecticut.
His mediums include monotypes, oil on paper, canvas or styrene board. In a technique that Tom started over 4 years ago, several of his monotypes have been painted over with oil paint using a palette knife, brush, or his fingers to re-purpose the underlying image. These works are a testament to Bennett’s ability to quickly and concisely compose an image with expressive brush strokes, foreshortened figures and expertly rendered light.
Tom’s work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions worldwide. Bennett lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He is currently represented by Tabla Rasa...
Category
2010s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Monotype
Me and Myselves
Located in London, GB
2018
Charcoal on paper
Signed and dated lower left
Framed (matte black wooden frame, black raised float mount on foam core, UV anti-reflective glass)
Frame size 95 x 70 x 3 cm
Felix Dolah...
Category
2010s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Women in Purple and Shadow - Figurative Composition in Acrylic on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Nun in the Shadows - Figurative Composition in Acrylic on Paper
A dark abstracted portrait by California-based artist, Ricardo de Silva (American/Brazil, 20th C). This piece is abst...
Category
1980s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Paper
German American Expressionist Abstract Sailboat
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Modern
Subject: Abstract
Medium: Watercolor, Chalk
Surface: Paper
Country: United States
Dimensions: not able to determine" x not able to determine"
Dimensions w/Frame: 25 1/4...
Category
1950s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Chalk, Watercolor
تهران
Located in London, GB
2018
Charcoal on paper
Signed and dated upper left
Framed (matte black wooden frame, black raised float mount on foam core, UV anti-reflective glass)
Frame size 95 x 70 x 3 cm
Felix Dolah...
Category
2010s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Abstract Expressionist Rabbi Watercolor Painting Jewish American Modernist WPA
Located in Surfside, FL
Watercolor painting of standing prophet or Rabbi, Judaica artwork
Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated his European Jewish heritage in his visual works as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker. Influenced by Spinoza, Knut Hamsun, and Wladyslaw Reymont, as well as Hebrew literature, Ben-Zion wrote poetry and essays that, like his visual work, attempt to reveal the deep “connection between man and the divine, and between man and earth.” An emigrant from the Ukraine, he came to the US in 1920. He wrote fairy tales and poems in Hebrew under the name Benzion Weinman, but when he began painting he dropped his last name and hyphenated his first, saying an artist needed only one name.
Ben-Zion was a founding member of “The Ten: An Independent Group” The Ten” a 1930’s avant-garde group, Painted on anything handy. Ben-Zion often used cabinet doors (panels) in his work. Other members of group included Ilya Bolotowsky, Lee Gatch, Adolf Gottlieb...
Category
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
'No way back 4, ' by Josette Simon Gestin, Mixed Media Drawing
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 11.5" X 10.5" unframed mixed media pastel and ink etching on paper by Josette Simon Gestin is from the artist's series titled "No way back." On the ...
Category
2010s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media
Opal Magic
By Teri Brudnak
Located in Boston, MA
Artist commentary:
The mystery of the flashing colors of opals is in tiny spheres that retain water and diffract light into it's component wavelengths. If we zoom in close enough, w...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Digital
Colorful Fish - Blue Green Pink White Yellow Black
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Signed lower left.
Provenance: The Estate of the Artist
A letter of authenticity from the Artist's Estate will accompany this work of art.
Category
1920s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gouache, Archival Paper
Bauhaus . Untitled (French Barque under Staysail)
Located in Miami, FL
Bauhaus Iconic work by the master or Cubism and Expressionism
Dalzell Hatfield Gallery, Los Angeles
Bonhams,
Exhibited: Moller Fine Art, "Precision ...
Category
1940s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Pencil
Positano House Terrace & Sea, 2000s
Located in Quogue, NY
Watercolor on paper
Category
Early 2000s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
"Militair" Gray Toned Abstract Watercolor Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Gray toned abstract watercolor painting on paper titled "Militair." Back side of the paper has another painting depicting red, yellow, green, and blue abstract shapes with figurative...
Category
1960s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Acacia Beach
By Teri Brudnak
Located in Boston, MA
Artist commentary:
Summer in the Caribbean has lots of happy memories for me. The blue, blue water seen through a screen of leaves is a strong impressi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Digital
Mediterranean Seascape 554, 2000s
Located in Quogue, NY
Watercolor on paper
Category
Early 2000s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Abstract Expressionist Watercolor Portrait
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract expressionist portrait of a colorful face by Berkeley artist Howard Margolis (American, 1927-2015). Unsigned, with “Howard Margolis” on verso. Presented unframed, in a paste...
Category
Late 20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Garden Bloom
By Teri Brudnak
Located in Boston, MA
Artist commentary:
Nothing makes me happier than working in the garden and seeing plants bloom and bear fruit. We are more alike than we imagine.
Words that describe the piece: Gar...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Digital
Abundance
By Teri Brudnak
Located in Boston, MA
Artist commentary:
Nature is always expressing abundance not scarcity.
Words that describe the piece: nature,plants,green
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Digital
Three Fish - colorful Blue Green Lavender Purple White Orange
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Signed lower left.
Provenance: The Estate of the Artist
A letter of authenticity from the Artist's Estate will accompany this work of art.
Category
1920s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gouache, Archival Paper
German Expressionist drawing of abstracted figures by Carl Hofer
By Carl Hofer
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Carl Hofer (German, 1875 – 1955)
Abstract figures
Pencil on paper
8.1/4 x 9 in. (21 x 23 cm.)
With studio stamp (on the reverse) and signature of the artist’s wife Elizabeth Hofer
Provenance: These works come from the artist’s second wife Elizabeth and from then by descent.
Carl Hofer was a German expressionist painter and the director of the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts. One of the most important painters of the Expressionist movement, his work was among those that was considered degenerate art by the Nazis. He studied in Karlsruhe under Hans Thoma. He first visited Paris in 1899 making acquaintance with Julius Meier-Graefe. In 1902 he studied in Stuttgardt and became friends with the sculptor Hermann Haller...
Category
20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pencil
German expressionist drawing by Carl Hofer' Whispering'
By Carl Hofer
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Carl Hofer (German, 1875 – 1955)
Einflusterung (Whispering)
Charcoal and pencil on paper
Signed and inscribed ‘Einflusterung’ (lower middle)
17.1/4 x 13.3/8 in. (43.8 x 34 cm.)
Provenance: These works come from the artist’s second wife Elizabeth and from then by descent.
Carl Hofer was a German expressionist painter and the director of the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts. One of the most important painters of the Expressionist movement, his work was among those that was considered degenerate art by the Nazis. He studied in Karlsruhe under Hans Thoma. He first visited Paris in 1899 making acquaintance with Julius Meier-Graefe. In 1902 he studied in Stuttgardt and became friends with the sculptor Hermann Haller...
Category
20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Charcoal
Abstract Drawing Watercolor Painting Totem Column Jewish American Modernist WPA
Located in Surfside, FL
Miniature Abstract Totem. Signed with initials.
Provenance: Virginia Field, Arts administrator; New York, N.Y. Assistant director for Asia House gallery. (she was friends with John von Wicht and Andy Warhol)
Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated his European Jewish heritage in his visual works as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker. Influenced by Spinoza, Knut Hamsun, and Wladyslaw Reymont, as well as Hebrew literature, Ben-Zion wrote poetry and essays that, like his visual work, attempt to reveal the deep “connection between man and the divine, and between man and earth.”
An emigrant from the Ukraine, he came to the US in 1920. He wrote fairy tales and poems in Hebrew under the name Benzion Weinman, but when he began painting he dropped his last name and hyphenated his first, saying an artist needed only one name.
Ben-Zion was a founding member of “The Ten: An Independent Group” The Ten” a 1930’s avant-garde group, Painted on anything handy. Ben-Zion often used cabinet doors (panels) in his work. Other members of group included Ilya Bolotowsky, Lee Gatch, Adolf Gottlieb, Louis Harris, Yankel...
Category
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
Untitled 501, 1994
Located in Quogue, NY
Watercolor on paper
Category
1990s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Untitled 524, 1980s
Located in Quogue, NY
Watercolor on paper
Category
1980s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Bauhaus . Untitled (French Barque under Staysail)
Located in Miami, FL
Bauhaus Iconic work by the master or Cubism and Expressionism
Dalzell Hatfield Gallery, Los Angeles
Bonhams,
Exhibited: Moller Fine Art, "Precision ...
Category
1940s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Pencil
Gladiator
By Rainer Küchenmeister
Located in Norwich, GB
An exquisite watercolour and paint painting on paper by German resistance fighter and concentration camp survivor Rainer Küchenmeister (1926-2010)...
Category
1970s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Untitled 517, 1980s
Located in Quogue, NY
Watercolor on paper
Category
1980s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
German Expressionist drawing of an abstracted form by Carl Hofer
By Carl Hofer
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Carl Hofer (German, 1875 – 1955)
Abstracted form
Pencil and pen and ink on paper
Signed with monogram ‘CH’ (lower right)
11.3/8 x 7.1/2 in. (28.8 x 19 cm.)
Provenance: These works c...
Category
Early 20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Ink, Pen, Pencil
Abstract Dark Toned Italian Landscape
Located in Houston, TX
Dark tonal Italian landscape with hits of yellow greens and reds. The pastel image is framed in a natural wooden frame with a white matte. Artist signed the work in the bottom right ...
Category
20th Century Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Oil Pastel
Clown, 1998 - oil paint, 75x60 cm, framed
By Armand Avril
Located in Nice, FR
Gouache on paper, signed on the leg of the clown.
Armand Avril, né à Lyon en 1926, est un peintre vivant à Cotignac dans le Var. Il est surtout connu pour les assemblages qu'il a réalisés à partir de 1968. D'origine modeste, cependant très tôt intéressé par l'art et les musées où le poussait son père, il s'essaie d'abord à la peinture. Cependant, Avril ne commence à trouver son véritable style qu'à l'âge de quarante-deux ans.
Enfant, il est un habitué des musées de Lyon qu’il fréquente sur les conseils de son père. Adulte, sa passion pour la collection l’incite à se nourrir des arts premiers et d’artistes comme Gaston Chaissac...
Category
1990s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Oil
"Recall the Early 80's, " Original Oil Pastel and Ink Drawing by Reginald K. Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Recall the Early 80's" is an original oil pastel and ink drawing by Reginald K. Gee. The artist signed the piece in the lower right. This colorful abstract piece is the artist's rec...
Category
1980s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Oil Pastel, Ink, Board
"No More Electric Toothbrushes, " Oil Pastel signed on Verso by Reginald K. Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"No More Electric Toothbrushes - Part I" is an original oil pastel drawing on illustration board by Reginald K. Gee. The Artist signed the piece on the back. This piece features abst...
Category
1980s Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Oil Pastel, Illustration Board
Expressionist abstract drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist abstract drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add abstract drawings and watercolors created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Teri Brudnak, Reginald K. Gee, Carl Hofer, and Lyonel Feininger. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Expressionist abstract drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 1.2 inches across are also available. Prices for abstract drawings and watercolors made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $375 and tops out at $80,000, while the average work sells for $1,945.
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