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Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

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
Garden Bloom
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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Archival Paper, Digital

Vase of Flowers - Russian Jewish
Located in London, GB
This watercolour is hand signed by the artist "I. Ryback" in the lower left corner. Provenance: Acquired by the parents of the previous owner in the 1960's or 1970's in Paris. Co...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Seated nude with Face in Profile - Pencil Drawing - female Nude
By Alexej Jawlensky
Located in London, GB
ALEXEJ VON JAWLENSKY 1864-1941 Torzhok 1864 - 1941 Wiesbaden (Russian/German) Title: Seated nude with Face in Profile Sitzender Akt mit Gesicht im Profil, 1912 Technique: Signed Pencil Drawing on Wove Paper Paper size: 50 x 40 cm. / 19.7 x 15.7 in. Additional Information: This drawing is signed in pencil by the artist “A v Jawlensky” at the lower right image. It is dated in pencil “1912”, at the lower left image. Provenance: Galerie Rosenbach, Hanover Sotheby's London, 28 June 1978. Lot 176. Jacqueline Kohler-Krotoschin, Zurich Beurret & Bailly, Basel, 20 June 2018. Lot 107. Exhibited: “Zwischen Tradition und Moderne”. Galerie Rosenbach, Hanover. 1975. Recorded as no. 222, cat. 14 (Illustrated). Literature: 1. Weiler,C. (1970) Alexej Jawlensky...
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1910s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Pencil

"Seaside Village"
Located in Lambertville, NJ
One of several prominent women associated with the artistic life of Cincinnati at the turn of the century, Annie G. Sykes was recognized for her colorful, Impressionist-inspired watercolors. Throughout her long and successful career, she explored a variety of themes ranging from landscapes, flowers and the figure to the picturesque scenery of New England, Europe and Bermuda. Sykes was born Annie Sullings Gooding in Brookline, Massachusetts. Her father, Josiah Gooding, was a silversmith and engraver, and her mother, Ann, was a gifted needle-worker. Stimulated by the example of her parents, Sykes developed an interest in art during her childhood, honing her skills as a draftsman in art classes at school by drawing flowers, trees and other natural forms. She initiated her formal studies at the Lowell Institute in Boston in 1875, attending drawing classes there until 1878, when she enrolled at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts. Sykes is believed to have studied at the museum school until her marriage to Gerritt Sykes in 1882. Following her nuptials, Sykes and her husband moved to Cincinnati, at that time a flourishing cultural center dubbed the "Queen City of the West." While Gerritt and a friend established the Franklin School for boys, Sykes continued to follow her artistic inclinations. Desirous of refining her skills, she enrolled at the Cincinnati Art Academy in 1884. Throughout the next ten years, she continued her training under such noted American painters as Frank Duveneck and Thomas Satterwhite Noble. Although she occasionally worked in oil, watercolor became Sykes' favorite medium of expression. Despite the birth of two children--Milly in 1885 and Anne in 1888--Sykes successfully balanced the demands of home and family with her professional aspirations. She began contributing to the annual exhibitions of the Boston Art Club in 1890 and the New York Watercolor Club the following year. In 1892, she became a charter member of the Woman's Art Club of Cincinnati, where she would exhibit regularly until 1923. In 1895, Sykes had her first solo show at the Traxel & Maas Gallery in Cincinnati, exhibiting a group of her watercolors. Local critics praised her fresh, vibrant colors and her spontaneous technique, and in a review in the Cincinnati Enquirer she was identified as representing "the new school of impressionism." Sykes's longstanding relationship with the Cincinnati Art Museum began that same year, when she first participated in that institution's annual shows. Indeed, between 1895 and 1926, she would exhibit there on forty-two occasions. Sykes also had a show (with Emma Mendenhall) at the Cinncinati Art Museum in 1908, and a three-person exhibition (with Emma Mendenhall and Dixie Selden) two years later. Sykes's work was also featured in the annual watercolor shows at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Water Color Club and the Ohio Water Color Society. Her numerous professional affiliations included the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors in New York and the Cincinnati Museum Association. Her standing among her peers was such that she was often invited to serve juries of selection, along with such eminent painters as Duveneck, Noble, Maurice Prendergast and Edward Redfield. Prior to 1900, Sykes' was active in and around Boston, Cincinnati, and in Nonquitt, Massachusetts, where her family had a summer home. After the turn of the century, she spent many summers in Cape Porpoise...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Tinnitus #3 - Parmis Sayous 21st Century drawing, Iranian contemporary painter
Located in Paris, FR
Pastel and oil paint on paper Created in 2018 in Paris, France Unique work Signed by the artist Parmis Sayous was born in 1982 in Teheran, Iran. Since 2015, She has lived and worked...
Category

2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Pastel, Oil, Cardboard

Untitled - Parmis Sayous 21st Century drawing, Iranian contemporary painting
Located in Paris, FR
Pastel on paper Created in 2018 in Paris, France Unique work Signed by the artist
Category

2010s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Portrait of a Young Girl
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderful example of Czobel’s most expressive drawing. Signed, lower right
Category

1930s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Chalk

For the Bergers
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Kiki Kogelnik, Austrian (1935 - 1997) Title: For the Bergers Year: 1966 Medium: Watercolor, signed, titled and dated verso Size: 29 in. x 23 in. (73.66 cm x 58.42 cm) Frame S...
Category

1960s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Planting the Stake
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

The Scream
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the personal collection of the artist and family. "The Scream...
Category

1940s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Shadows
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting an original mixed media watercolor by Hungarian artist Bela Kadar. Bela Kadar was a historically important artist, is work was included as part of the degenerate art movement of Nazi Germany. His works appeared illustrated in the famous German arts magazine Der Sturm...
Category

1920s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Gouache

The Accordionist
Located in West Hollywood, CA
An exceptional original watercolor by American artist Byron Randall. "The Accordionist", is an original watercolor on heavy paper, signed, c.1945, ...
Category

1940s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Vault
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the ...
Category

1940s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Lone Horse
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the ...
Category

1940s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Brown Horses
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the ...
Category

1940s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Prancing
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the ...
Category

1960s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Pastel

The Storm
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the ...
Category

1930s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

The Scream #1
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the personal collection of the artist and family. "The Scream...
Category

1940s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Man and the Mountain
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Drink by the Lake
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a just arrived series of original pen and ink and ink wash drawings by Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger. These works were acquired directly from the ...
Category

1940s Expressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

Expressionist drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist drawings and watercolor paintings 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 drawings and watercolor paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, yellow and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Anastasia Kurakina, Parmis Sayous, Zsolt Berszán, and Carl Hofer. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Paper 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 drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 4.45 inches across are also available. Prices for drawings and watercolor paintings 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 $85 and tops out at $210,814, while the average work sells for $1,233.

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