Expressionist Figurative Paintings
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.
1960s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Cardboard, Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
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 Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
Artist Sharon Sieben creates a stern portrait of a man who, despite his attempt to appear disinterested, finds himself unable to resist the allure of curiosit...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
1960s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 2000s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
Early 2000s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Ink, Paper, Watercolor
Early 2000s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Ink, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
1940s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media
1940s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil Pastel, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
Early 2000s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1980s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Laid Paper
Late 20th Century Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1920s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
1930s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil