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.
Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
2010s Expressionist More Art
Wood, Maple, Screen
2010s Expressionist More Art
Wood, Maple, Screen
Artist Comments
A whimsical village emerges among trees. The carefully arranged houses and foliage form an engaging scene. The bright color palette reinforces the non-represent...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Whispy grasses sway in the foreground, leading the viewer's eye to a calm ocean horizon. Soft pastel hues with earthy tones paint...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
1970s Expressionist More Art
Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
Artist Comments
Deep blue tones envelop a blurred San Francisco cityscape, evoking a dreamlike memory of a fleeting moment. The triangular panel enhances the composition’s un...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Vibrant blues and greens create a dreamy forest scene. A winding trail cuts through the tall, dark trees, leading to a clearing bathed in light. Pops of warm ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Vivid brushstrokes portray crepe myrtle trees swaying in the wind. As colorful as sugar candies, their flowers and leaves burst like Portuguese confetti under...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A cluster of agricultural buildings transforms into an exploration of color and texture. Stripped of perspective and realistic detail, the composition relies on...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
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This watercolor painting captures the charm and vitality of Portland’s historic Old Port district. City life hums with a balance of energy and ease—building...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Watercolor
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A Massachusetts park in winter is reimagined with vibrant color and expressive brushstrokes. The cool-toned palette predominates, while the use of color adds ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A soft mist drapes over the narrow streets of a traditional Vietnamese town, muting the colors of weathered buildings with faded shutters and moss-covered tiles...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
1920s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Photogravure
2010s Expressionist More Art
Oil
1910s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Etching
Early 2000s Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Shadows of tall, slender trees rise from the darkness. A subtle ray of moonlight illuminates the landscape, casting a delicate glow that contrasts against the...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A woman sits with her hands wrapped around bent knees, exuding a sense of introspection and vulnerability. She contemplates the wonders of the universe, from ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Encaustic
Artist Comments
Artist Naoko Tadotsu demonstrates a colorful tree on a sunny summer afternoon. Reflections of bright sunlight from a nearby river pierce through the leaves of the lush foliage. A compelling display of blue and green marks intensifies in the warm background. "The lights and leaves together create an illusion of a large stained glass," says Naoko.
About the Artist
Brilliant prismatic trees radiate in artist Naoko Tadotsu’s expressionist compositions. “I am always in awe of nature, color, and light,†says Naoko. These three facets establish her vibrant works in fluid strokes of vivid hues. Roots of her influence trace back to growing up in Osaka, where these elements were abundant. Naoko migrated to New York where she was immersed and fell in love with the world of art. What was once unexpressed inspiration inevitably translated onto the canvas. Her work often crosses into abstraction, capturing her feelings towards nature and painting...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Two figures bask in the light of the cosmos, their curvaceous forms mirroring the flow of celestial bodies. The varying blue tones represent the sky before nigh...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A vibrant blend of colors captures the energy of a bustling morning scene. Figures in motion stride across the composition, their forms loosely defined yet full...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist More Art
Fabric, Wool
Artist Comments
A woodland home takes on a playful vibrancy through bold colors and simplified shapes. Layers of violet, crimson, and deep green underpainting heighten contrast...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Inspired by the vibrant style of Raoul Dufy, this portrayal of UK monastery ruins transitions from realism to bold colors and lively brushwork, merging modern...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
1910s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Woodcut
Artist Comments
A classic American room takes on a stylized form, with a central fireplace anchoring the composition. The altered perspective and colors enhance the artistic am...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Early 2000s Expressionist More Art
Ceramic
Artist Comments
Bold colors bring the towering Empire State Building to life. Minimal lines and dynamic hues convey constant motion, reflecting the unstoppable spirit of New Yo...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
1920s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Photogravure
Artist Comments
Waves gently roll towards the shore, reflecting shades of blue and green under a bright sky. Tall grasses in the foreground sway lightly, adding texture to th...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Robert Hofherr rendered a colorful view of autumn wood in a Fauvist lens. With simplified details, the interplay of line, color, and texture creates vi...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Different architectural styles coexist with energetic colors in this expressionist depiction of a neighborhood. Bold brushstrokes suggest houses and trees, bl...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist James Hartman began this painting by creating texture with homemade tools. He envisioned standing at the edge of the woods, looking through to an indistinct light. The oil colors were allowed to drip and settle into the textured surface, enhancing depth and movement, while his tools helped define the landscape in a way that captures shifting light.
About the Artist
When James Hartman was in art school, he became fascinated with the Society of Six, a group of artists who painted en plein air (outdoors) and exhibited together in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 20th Century. James's paintings of the Northern California landscape pay tribute to some of the great Bay Area artists of the past. His expressive scenes feel alive through his vibrant use of color and his painterly brushwork. James’s paintings have an immediate visual impact from a distance, yet up close, dissolve into a series of confident marks and strokes. There is a simultaneous complexity and steadiness in his flattened, color-blocked planes. Knowledge and observation are essential elements of James’s working practice. To this end, he spends a large proportion of his time painting on location. His body of work captures the fresh and sunlit essence of the coastal California hills.
Words that describe this painting: trees, texture, bright, woods, sunlight, panoramic, forest...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Early 1900s Expressionist More Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
Bold brushstrokes capture the lively yet restful energy of a marsh. The colors shift and blend, reflecting the ever-changing landscape. The scene portrays the...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
On a lazy midsummer afternoon, a young bear wanders into a meadow nestled high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Abstract fields of color melt into the essence ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A gray sky looms over the distant ocean, while wisps of grass emerge from the foreground. The rugged sand contrasts with the gentle waves. Earthy browns and g...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Robert Hofherr shares an expressionist view of rocky outcrops in the forest. Bold color, energetic paint application, and a simplified drawing style he...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Tall, wispy grasses sway in the foreground, leading to the blue-green water that extends towards the horizon. Gentle waves ripple across the surface, meeting ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Verdant blades of grass blend into warm tones of yellow and orange, gradually leading to a sandy shore. On the horizon, a quiet beach meets the clear blue sky...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A jewel-toned hummingbird hovers mid-flight, its wings blurred by motion as it flies through the colorful sky. The scene takes inspiration from the birds that...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A vibrant night sky stretches over the city. Ethereal blues mirror the celestial depths, while fiery oranges echo the birth of the stars. Geometric shapes and...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
1910s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist George Peebles presents an expressionist landscape shifting as autumn approaches. The green leaves turn a fiery red as the season changes. George paint...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
1910s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Lithograph
Artist Comments
A vast, colorful sky stretches over an abstracted city. Artist Diana Elena Chelaru has intentionally minimized the buildings, letting the sky feel limitless. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
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 ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Srinivas Kathoju captures the beauty of vast open fields, mountains, and distant horizons in this painting. Sweeping clouds fill the sky, reflecting th...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
1920s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Photogravure
1910s Expressionist More Art
Paper, Lithograph
Artist Comments
Tall pine trees rise over the dunes of Asilomar Beach on the Monterey Peninsula. Patches of pink, orange, and white ice plants dominate the foreground. The vi...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
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 th...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Vibrant, swirling sun rays fill the sky, creating a celestial panorama above a city. The windows of the stylized buildings below reflect the galaxy of geometr...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting captures an abandoned house nearly concealed by overgrown bushes. The sunlit road extends endlessly into the hori...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
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 i...
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 viv...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
The artwork depicts an expressionist city landscape at night, emphasizing emotions and subjective experience over realism. A woman's figure lies among the sta...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
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 s...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A lake house stands serenely as the sun dips below the horizon, its silhouette softly outlined against the glowing sky. Lily pads float gently on the water, t...
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 expe...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist More Art
Acrylic