Expressionist More 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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Artist Comments
The sky glows orange, its vibrant colors reflected upon the lake. Pine trees grace the horizon with their distinct silhouettes. While the far shore emits a fain...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A woman holds her dress as she walks on the beach. The bright golden light outlines her body, setting her apart from the abstract purple horizon in the background. With broad brushstrokes, artist Connie Millholland...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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Artist Jodi Dann illustrates a diverse array of dahlias set on decorative vases. "Where I live, there can be lots of wind but dahlia roots seem to hold on tight with their strength," shares Jodi. She depicts her favorite flower accentuating their flower heads of various sizes. The complementing peach, purple, wine, and mauve tones evoke a meditative harmony.
About the Artist
In 1999, Jodi Dann seized the opportunity to become a full-time painter. Today, her paintings read like hazy memories of imagined faraway places. The compositions are abstract, but possess strong architectural elements, recalling bridges, arches, and doorways. Each piece retains an overall sense of place without prescribing a location, allowing the viewer to form an individualized connection with the work. Jodi paints from her cozy studio on her property in Oregon while listening to a variety of music on Pandora. She doesn’t feel the need to strive for perfection in her work. “Life isn’t perfect,†says Jodi. “Why force a painting to be?â€
Words that describe this painting: dahlias, flowers, vases, petals, garden, peaceful, meditation, mindfulness, still life...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist More Art
Fabric, Wool
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
Early 2000s Expressionist More Art
Acrylic, Canvas
Early 2000s Expressionist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
Early 2000s Expressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
1930s Expressionist More Art
Woodcut
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
Artist Comments
This is a heavy, impasto work done with palette knife and oil. It is both a celebration of texture and color in an attempt to bring vibrancy to the figure. Pa...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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A New England seaport transforms into a stylized seascape through unusual colors, expressive strokes, and minimal details. One sailboat navigates the water whil...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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Bold colors, energetic rendering, and expressive paint application transform ordinary workboats. Adopting a Fauvist approach, the artwork avoids realistic detai...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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Four key elements define the composition. The expansive sky, the horizon with hazy tree silhouettes, the colorful orchard, and the chilly pond form a captivatin...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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With sunlight streaming in from the left, the trees engage in a playful banter about who gets the spotlight. Overlooking a small pond alongside the shrubs, they...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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Drawing inspiration from a charming New England town art gallery, this fauvist reinterpretation simplifies intricate details, allowing the vibrant shapes of exp...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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Fauvist color and energetic paint handling invigorate a Massachusetts harbor. Displaying an expressive and loose painting technique, the underpainting actively ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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Catching the final light of a February day in Massachusetts, the treetops burst into vibrant hues. Drawing inspiration from van Gogh's bold landscapes, the unde...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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A London flat takes a fauvist approach, emphasizing bold colors over detailed representation. The simple depiction of furniture and dynamic visual texture of th...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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In a tranquil garden, wildflowers daydream and create their own sunshine. Blue and gold blooms dominate the cluster, with red ones adding vibrant accents. Infus...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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A neighborhood with New England-style homes embraces a Fauvist treatment, resulting in a stylized landscape with textured underpainting and non-realistic colors...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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Inspired by a Scottish folktale during her trip to Scotland, artist Sumner Crenshaw depicts two figures under the moon. In the tale, a selkie transforms into a ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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Beneath the blue sky, a thicket of trees displays their autumn-tinted foliage. Thin clouds in the distance and wispy grasses in the foreground add depth to the ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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A vibrant autumn scene unfolds as towering trees with golden leaves stretch toward the azure sky. The quiet neighborhood below hosts quaint houses nestling amon...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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A two-story mansion undergoes a fauvist transformation with its bright palette, stylized rendering, and expressive paint handling. The alteration of multi-tiere...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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Drawing inspiration from Raoul Dufy's energetic landscapes, this depiction of St. Paul's Cathedral employs a wildly exuberant linear style to outline the struct...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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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 More Art
Oil
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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 More Art
Acrylic
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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 More Art
Acrylic
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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 More Art
Acrylic
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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 More Art
Oil
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Food and tableware take center stage in this Fauvist still life. Instead of realistically arranging the objects on a tabletop, the piece evolved organically dur...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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This painting features a woman as the central subject, depicted with bold textures and spontaneous brushstrokes. Her white dress against the deep blue backgroun...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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The painting captures a lively scene where a group of people dances joyfully, lost in the music with closed eyes. Their vibrant clothing and fluid movements inf...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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A tranquil landscape welcomes the beginning of autumn. A cloudy sky stretches over the vast field and the ocean, adorned with scattered trees and a puddle. The ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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A serene and mysterious atmosphere envelops a snow-covered landscape. Traces of grass dot the foreground, while a shroud of fog softly blurs the distant tree li...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Early 2000s Expressionist More Art
Ceramic
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In the fall and winter, the woods along the river reveal the remnants of summer flowers, tangled stems, and leaves. Starting with oils and cold wax, artist Meli...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This piece depicts a Fauvist interpretation of a small town through the bold colors, textures, and simplified rendering of its streets and retail stores. The pa...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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This painting features a Fauvist interpretation of a street scene. The bright reds and golds evoke a neon-like effect against the dark, cool background, while l...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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This Fauvist painting captures a house surrounded by trees, their leaves shifting into muted brown, red, and yellow hues to indicate the changing season. The te...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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This painting captures an abandoned house nearly concealed by overgrown bushes. The sunlit road extends endlessly into the horizo...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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September flourishes at its peak, with trees painted in vibrant autumn hues. A field of grass wraps around the foreground, with a small patch illuminated by sun...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
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This painting portrays a woman with an ambiguous expression, adding a mysterious mood to the piece. The blue streaks in her hair and the shadow on her face crea...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
1930s Expressionist More Art
Paper
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Artist Diana Elena Chelaru depicts figures grooving to the pulsating beat of the music. Bright lights cast vibrant hues across the scene, adding an electrifying...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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This painting sets a moody tone, employing a mainly blue color scheme with expressive brushwork. The stylized ships evoke emotions rather than realistic portray...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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This painting follows the Fauvist style of using vibrant colors, expressive brushstrokes, and simplified drawings to depict the subject. The foreground captures the interior of a ship leading toward a bridge on the horizon. The treatment of the elements adds to the artwork's expressionist charm and graphic quality.
About the Artist
Artist Robert Hofherr paints fauvist expressions, infusing his work with a strong statement reflected in his bold application of colors and spontaneous brushwork. Robert refrains from depicting a scene in its literal sense and lets the viewer reimagine a piece with their imagination. Following art school, Robert spent decades as an advertising and graphic design professional. "After my children had grown and became independent, I reconnected with painting," shares Robert. Inspired by the French artists Maurice de Vlaminck and André Derain, he now paints in an unused bedroom in his home, often accompanied by the soothing melodies of classical music. When he is not working...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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The painting portrays a serene pond amid lush greenery. Featuring expressive brushstrokes, the piece conveys movement and bold contrast of complementary colors, adding visual appeal. Artist Janet Dyer's approach prioritizes capturing the energy of the scene over immediate representational details.
About the Artist
Artist Janet Dyer captures picturesque scenes from her travels in expressive and gestural landscapes. Her work reflects the changes brought on by the seasons, seizing the colors and mood and reinterpreting them into lively compositions. "I believe the process of creating art is equal in importance to the final product," says Janet. She started painting when she was nine and sold her first painting at thirteen at a country fair, where it won first prize. From ages eight to seventeen, she joined countless country fairs and relished seeing her works on display. Growing up in Ohio and Michigan influenced Janet's fascination with wide open spaces. Now living in New York State, she loves to travel whenever she gets the chance and finds inspiration everywhere she goes—particularly farms and France, and farms in France. "Luckily for me, landscapes are everywhere, so I'm spoiled for choice."
Words that describe this painting: water, pond, panoramic, trees, woods, expressionism, nature, acrylic painting, green
Pond with Yellow Trees...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The painting beautifully captures a blue globe adorned with an array of plants and flowers. The enchanting hues of light magenta and dark green create organic a...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
In this lively and spirited painting, five figures revel in the music and each other's company. Tones of blue and orange embrace their forms as they hit the dan...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting shows a happy moment between friends dancing with each other. They close their eyes and lift their hands, fully immersing themselves in the experi...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic