Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
SURREALIST STYLE
In the wake of World War I’s ravaging of Europe, artists delved into the unconscious mind to confront and grapple with this reality. Poet and critic André Breton, a leader of the Surrealist movement who authored the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, called this approach “a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism.” Surrealist art emerged in the 1920s with dreamlike and uncanny imagery guided by a variety of techniques such as automatic drawing, which can be likened to a stream of consciousness, to channel psychological experiences.
Although Surrealism was a groundbreaking approach for European art, its practitioners were inspired by Indigenous art and ancient mysticism for reenvisioning how sculptures, paintings, prints, performance art and more could respond to the unsettled world around them.
Surrealist artists were also informed by the Dada movement, which originated in 1916 Zurich and embraced absurdity over the logic that had propelled modernity into violence. Some of the Surrealists had witnessed this firsthand, such as Max Ernst, who served in the trenches during World War I, and Salvador Dalí, whose otherworldly paintings and other work responded to the dawning civil war in Spain.
Other key artists associated with the revolutionary art and literary movement included Man Ray, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Frida Kahlo and Meret Oppenheim, all of whom had a distinct perspective on reimagining reality and freeing the unconscious mind from the conventions and restrictions of rational thought. Pablo Picasso showed some of his works in “La Peinture Surréaliste” — the first collective exhibition of Surrealist painting — which opened at Paris’s Galerie Pierre in November of 1925. (Although Magritte is best known as one of the visual Surrealist movement’s most talented practitioners, his famous 1943 painting, The Fifth Season, can be interpreted as a formal break from Surrealism.)
The outbreak of World War II led many in the movement to flee Europe for the Americas, further spreading Surrealism abroad. Generations of modern and contemporary artists were subsequently influenced by the richly symbolic and unearthly imagery of Surrealism, from Joseph Cornell to Arshile Gorky.
Find a collection of original Surrealist paintings, sculptures, prints and multiples and more art on 1stDibs.
to
3
7
7
4
3
1
6
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
28
19
7
3
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
7
67
45
29
15
11
7
6
6
1
1
Style: Surrealist
Artist: Raluca Arnăutu
The Cartographer - Black, Yellow, Collage, Surrealism
Located in Berlin, DE
The Cartographer, 2021
collage on paper
50 H x 35 W cm
Raluca Arnăutu dreams the world through collages. A collage, dreamlike and surreal, populated by thousands of pieces of paper,...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper
Coloured City - Drawing, Pencil, Blue, Red, Paper
Located in Berlin, DE
Coloured city, 2014
acryl and colored fine liner on paper
19.68 H x 13.89 W in
50 H x 35.3 W
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, where animals f...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil
House of Dreams - Blue, Red, Drawing, Figurative, 21st Century
Located in Berlin, DE
House of Dreams, 2013
Ink and colored pencil on paper
16.53 H x 11.69 W in
42 H x 29.7 W cm
Signed
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, where an...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Color Pencil
Predatory Animals - Drawing, Pink, Animals, Orange, Surrealist
Located in Berlin, DE
Predatory Animals, 2014
acryl, pencil and black fineliner on paper
13.89 H x 19.68 W in
35.3 H x 50 W cm
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, whe...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil
Red Sea - Contemporary, Drawing on Paper, Pink, Dreamlike, Figurative
Located in Berlin, DE
Red Sea, 2014
Collage, acrylic and colored fineliner on paper (Signed)
11.69 H x 16.53 W in
29.7 H x 42 W cm
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world,...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Color Pencil, Paper
Royal Dreams - 21st Century, Drawing on Paper, Tree, Crown, Blue, Fantasy
Located in Berlin, DE
Royal Dreams, 2013
Black and colored fine liner on paper
16.53 H x 11.69 W in
42 H x 29.7 W cm
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, where animals...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil
Soap clouds - Drawing, Contemporary, Fantasy, Animals, Children's Room
Located in Berlin, DE
Soap clouds, 2014
Acryl, fineliner and colored pencil on paper
13.97 H x 19.68 W in
35.5 H x 50 W cm
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, where ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Color Pencil, Paper, Acrylic
Related Items
Au Bord de l'eau, Original Drawing, Pastel, Trees and House along the seafront
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Work : Original Drawing, Unique Work, Handmade Artwork. The work has been treated with Archival Varnish with UV protection and it is not framed.
Medium : Soft Pastel and Oil based c...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pastel, Archival Paper, Color Pencil
Gabriel RiesnertAu Bord de l'eau, Original Drawing, Pastel, Trees and House along the seafront, 2019
H 6.3 in W 5.91 in D 0.08 in
Liber Mystia XLIII
By Henry Hablak
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Liber Mystia XLIII" is an original artwork by Henry Hablak made of gouache, ink, and colored pencil on paper measuring 16.25"h x 12.25"w framed and 14"h x 11"w unframed.
Henry Habl...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Gouache, Color Pencil
Au Bord de l'eau, Original Drawing, Seascape, Trees, Seaside
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Oil base Colored Pencils and dry pastel on Hahnemühle paper 300g - Original Drawing, Seascape, Trees along the seafront
Work Title : Au bord de l'eau (series)
Artist : Gabriel Riesne...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Paper, Color Pencil, Pastel
H 6.3 in W 5.91 in D 0.08 in
Fawn
By Henry Hablak
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Fawn" is an original ink, colored pencil, and gouache on paper artwork by Henry Hablak measuring 30"h x 22"w.
Henry Hablak is a tattoo artist and illustrator based out of Philadel...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Gouache, Color Pencil
String of Pearls - Gyotaku Style Sumi Ink Painting of an Octopus, Mulberry Paper
By Jeff Conroy
Located in Chicago, IL
A small octopus is inked in the Japanese style of Gyo-Taku print making. Using sumi ink to "print" the octopus, the artist then embellishes it with colored pencil to convey an extraordinary dimensionality. By printing it on hand-made Mulberry paper, in this case a paper that mimics the undulating patterns of water, the artist achieves a beautiful aesthetic. The artwork is unframed. Please contact the gallery for framing options.
Jeff Conroy
String of Pearls
sumi ink and colored pencil on mulberry paper
12.50h x 18.50w in
31.75h x 46.99w cm
JEC126
Gyotaku - A Japanese word translated from "gyo" meaning fish and "taku" meaning stone impression and is believed to get its inspiration from Chinese stone...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Sumi Ink, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil
Window onto the Sea, Original Drawing, Contemporary Landscape, Architecture
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Work : Original Drawing, Handmade Artwork, Unique Work. The work has been treated with UV-resistant varnish and it is not framed.
Medium : Watercolour, Soft Pastel and Oil based col...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Paper, Color Pencil, Pastel, Watercolor
1 bid
H 11.82 in W 11.82 in D 0.12 in
Blue Curaçao - Gyotaku Style Sumi Ink Painting of an Octopus
By Jeff Conroy
Located in Chicago, IL
A small octopus is inked in the Japanese style of Gyo-Taku print making. Using sumi ink to "print" the octopus, the artist then embellishes it with colored pencil to convey an extra...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil
Feminine Devine, figure within landscape of birch trees gold tones nature
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Paper paint color pencil
ABOUT the artist:
Audrey Frank Anastasi is a prolific feminist artist, working in painting, drawing, collage, mixed media, & printmaking. She is also curator, gallerist, educator and arts advocate. Most of Ms. Anastasi's figurative works are painted with her non-dominant left hand. She has created large bodies of works of birds, animals and birch trees.
She has had 20 solo & 200 group shows. Her "ref-u-gee" series will be shown in 2020 at Medgar Evers College in collaboration with the Valentine Museum of Art, Brooklyn. Accompanying the show will be a limited-edition monograph w/ over 180 images and a foreword by Phyllis Braff. Ms. Anastasi's collage series was exhibited at Welancora Gallery, Brooklyn, in May, 2019. In 2018, ten paintings were exhibited in "Painting to Survive," curated by Yale critic Jonathan Weinberg.
Book and catalog publications include "Stations of the Cross", SPQR press, BREUCKELEN magazine, “Audrey Frank Anastasi”, catalog essay Cindy Nemser, and "Collage," essay by Giancarlo T. Roma.
Public art includes a portrait of Jo Davidson...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper, Color Pencil
The Arsonist - Color Pencil Drawing, Surreal Nighttime Scene, Framed
By John Hrehov
Located in Chicago, IL
The artist is a master at storytelling. He sets the stage for the viewer to bring the events to a particular scene. Here, the artist presents us with a curious scene. A lone figure in the dark, with a flame, is bent over a dark house. The title suggests an incident is about to take place yet can we believe what we are seeing? The viewer is required to ask the questions about the scene but the answers may only lie in their own imagination. The drawing is matted with a heavy white mat and framed in a simple dark grey wooden frame measuring 14.5 x 16 inches.
John Hrehov
The Arsonist
colored pencil on paper
6.50h x 8w in
16.51h x 20.32w cm
JHR004
John Hrehov
Education
1985 MFA-Painting, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1981 BFA-Painting, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH.
Solo Exhibitions
2017 John Hrehov, Paintings and Drawings. Tom Thomas Gallery, Indiana University East, Richmond, IN.
2012 Shades from White to Black, New Drawings. Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY.
2011 John Hrehov: Charcoal. Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne.
2009 John Hrehov: A Survey 1999-2009 Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY.
Paintings and Drawings. Seerveld Gallery, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, IL.
2004 John Hrehov: Drawings and Paintings. Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY.
2002 Paintings. Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY.
2001 Charcoal. Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne.
John Hrehov, Paintings and Drawings. Wood Street Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2000 The Picture Proper. Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY.
Fearful Symmetry. Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN.
Allegories in Contemporary Life. Yvonne Rapp Gallery, Louisville, KY.
1999 Paintings and Working Drawings. Adams Hall Gallery, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.
1998 John Hrehov. Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY.
John Hrehov: Paintings and Drawings. Wood Street Gallery, Chicago, IL.
1997 Object Lesson, Paintings, and Drawings by John Hrehov. Yvonne Rapp Gallery, Louisville, KY.
1995 John Hrehov. Trinity Art Gallery, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, IL.
1993 John Hrehov: Selected Works 1980-1992 Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Group Exhibitions
2019 2019 Alumni Exhibition. Reinberger Gallery at The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH.
Out Of The Closet. Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY.
1026 West Berry Street: The Fort Wayne Art School. Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN.
2018 Artlink Regional Exhibition. Artlink Contemporary Art Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN.
2017 Sola Grace-Faith-Scripture: An Exhibition of Sacred Visual Art. Good Shepherd Institute at Concordia Theological
Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.
Norman Bradley...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Color Pencil, Archival Paper
"Great Pine", Tree Inhabited by Human in Nature, Drawing and Pigments on Paper
By Frank Girard
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
This drawing by Frank Girard is created with pigments, Chinese ink, watercolors, acrylic, and colored pencils on 300g/m2 neutral white paper. It is not fr...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Pigment, Acrylic, Color Pencil
H 25.6 in W 19.69 in D 0.02 in
Au Bord de l'eau, Original Drawing, Pastel, Seascape, Trees along the seafront
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Work : Original Drawing, Handmade Artwork, Unique Work. The work has been treated with an anti-UV varnish
Medium : Soft Pastel and Oil based color pencils on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper 300Gsm
Artist : Gabriel Riesnert...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pastel, Archival Paper, Color Pencil
Gabriel RiesnertAu Bord de l'eau, Original Drawing, Pastel, Seascape, Trees along the seafront, 2019
H 6.3 in W 5.91 in D 0.08 in
"Street Fair” William Glackens, Ashcan School, Street Scene, Carnival, Boxing
Located in New York, NY
William Glackens
Street Fair, circa 1905
Pencil, ink and gouache on paper
10 x 14 inches
Provenance:
The artist
Kraushaar Galleries, New York
Estate ...
Category
Early 1900s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Pencil, Paper, Ink
Previously Available Items
Underworld
Located in Berlin, DE
Underworld, 2013
Black and colored fine liner on paper
16.53 H x 11.69 W in
42 H x 29.7 W
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, where animals from...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil
Monster on Stage
Located in Berlin, DE
Monster on Stage, 2014
Acrylic, ink, colored fine liner on paper
13.89 H x 19.68 W in
35.3 H x 50 W cm
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, where animals from different worlds...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil
Among Dandelions
Located in Berlin, DE
Among Dandelions, 2014
acryl and colored fine liner on paper
13.97 H x 19.68 W in
35.5 H x 50 W cm
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, where animals from different worlds are...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil
Singing Forest - Contemporary Drawing, Figurative, Flower, Blue Fantasy, Kids
Located in Berlin, DE
Singing Forest, 2014
Acryl and colored fineliner on paper (Signed)
19.68 H x 13.89 W in.
50 H x 35.3 W cm
Raluca Arnăutu creates a zoomorphic world, w...
Category
2010s Surrealist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil
H 19.69 in W 13.9 in D 2.37 in
Surrealist drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist 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, purple, yellow and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Isabel Rock, Corne Akkers, Maria C. Bernhardsson, and Sergio Barletta. 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 Surrealist drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 3.75 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 $121 and tops out at $224,500, while the average work sells for $1,494.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Pen And Ink Cat Drawing
Vintage Bath Poster
Vintage Bath Posters
Womans Nude Torso
19th Century Floral Watercolor Painting
Framed Sanguine
Vintage Packard
Vintage Packards
Japanese Crayon
Sunrise Watercolor Painting
Purple Abstract Watercolor Large
Surfing Watercolor
Surfing Watercolour
Empire Marketing Board
Charcoal Abstract 1960s
Post Impressionist Watercolor Garden
Empire Marketing Board Poster
Art Deco Horse Painting