Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
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.
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Color Pencil, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Color Pencil
1970s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Monotype
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Fabric
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Conté, Charcoal
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Wax Crayon
1910s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pen
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel, Archival Paper
1970s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
1930s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Pastel
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, C Print, Color, Dye Transfer, L...
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Watercolor, Handmade Paper
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Watercolor, Handmade Paper
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Watercolor, Handmade Paper
1910s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pencil
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Watercolor, Handmade Paper
1910s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Ink
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Watercolor, Handmade Paper
1960s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache
1980s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
1960s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
1960s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 2000s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Monotype
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media
1990s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Monotype
1960s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Pen
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Monotype
1960s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Permanent Marker
Early 20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Cardboard, Gouache
1930s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel, Paper
1930s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Digital
20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Late 20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Pen
Early 20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Etching
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Paper
1920s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Archival Paper
1940s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
Early 2000s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media, Paper, Archival Ink