Expressionist Art
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.
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2010s Expressionist Art
Oil
1990s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
Artist Comments
A nude woman strikes a seductive pose, her hair hanging gracefully in sweeping curves. Created with oil paint and graphite, the piece started as an experiment f...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
1950s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A layer of snow wraps a serene forest. Painted with a limited color palette of Payne's Grey and Phthalo Green, accented with Titanium White, the scene exudes a ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1970s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Pigment
1970s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
Low buildings hide among nature in an abandoned day camp. The sunlight filters through the trees, painting the grass with a soft radiance. The expressive brushs...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Expressionist Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
Poppies sway with the wind, creating a motion blur that adds a dynamic touch to the scene. Vibrant red tones sharply contrast with rich greens, highlighting the...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
1970s Expressionist Art
Paper, Oil Pastel
Artist Comments
An ordinary image of an urban house transforms into a stylized representation using expressive colors and paint handling. Linear elements replace many structura...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Bronze
1950s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1920s Expressionist Art
Offset, Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Expressionist Art
Etching
1950s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1970s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Watercolor
1960s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
1950s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
1950s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Aquatint
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil