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
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
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
Artist Diana Elena Chelaru captures the essence of movement in her composition, where two figures dance, swaying to the rhythm. Bright beams from the strobe lig...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Diana Elena Chelaru presents a charismatic composition of a woman accompanied by a pink wading bird. "Flamingos are symbols of beauty, balance, and roman...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Kip Decker presents a profound scene of Native Americans on horseback. They convene to discuss important matters and plans of action. "It is an ancient a...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist George Peebles captures a solitary tree standing in the middle of a vast field. "This is a perspective of autumn in its splendor," says George. The vivid...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Kip Decker depicts a group of Native Americans on horseback, traveling north for the summer. The multicolored and energetic background fuses the sky, the...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist More Art
Photographic Paper
Artist Comments
For me the uncertainty of this woman's mask-like face contrasts with the heat of the red that clothes her and the hopefulness of the blues that surround her.<...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Expressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist More Art
Charcoal, Varnish, Acrylic, Watercolor
19th Century Expressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Acrylic
1950s Expressionist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1940s Expressionist More Art
Board, Oil
Alphons MüllerAlfons Alphons Müller (1898-1955) Expressive Oil Painting Switzerland c. 1950, c. 1950
Early 2000s Expressionist More Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
20th Century Expressionist More Art
Canvas, Oil