Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
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.
1940s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil, Carbon Pencil
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Acrylic, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor, Etching
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Monotype
1960s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Graphite
1940s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
1980s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Rice Paper, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel, Archival Paper
1960s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel, Gouache, Paper
Early 20th Century Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor, Etching
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Early 20th Century Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Cardboard, Gouache
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Early 2000s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
1940s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache
1930s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Crayon
Early 2000s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel, Archival Paper
1970s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel, Archival Paper
Early 1900s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Late 20th Century Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
1920s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1920s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal, Ink
1920s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1970s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
1970s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
2010s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Graphite
1930s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Mixed Media
1960s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Paper
1990s Expressionist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil, Conté, Handmade Paper