Expressionist Figurative Paintings
EXPRESSIONIST STYLE
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.
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Style: Expressionist
Running Man 1 by Katya Tsareva - Triptych painting, acrylic on canvas, 2017
Located in Basel, BS
Running Man 1 is a vertical triptych, formed of 3 paintings, 40 x 50 cm each.
The triptych can be seen as a follow-up on Katya Tsareva's 2016 project "S...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Expressionist Figurative water color painting- Series The Horse Whisper No.2-25
Located in Beijing, CN
Expressionist Figurative water color painting by Zhang Chunyang
Series The Horse Whisper No.2-25
Dimension: 29 x 36 cm
Material: Gouache, Watercolor on Paper
Date: 2013
Artist B...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache, Handmade Paper
Gaukler Familie mit Instrumenten (Family of Jesters with Instruments)
Located in Washington, DC
German Modernist
Category
1960s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Expressionist Figurative water color painting- Luckiness
Located in Beijing, CN
Expressionist Figurative water color painting by Zhang Chunyang
Title: Luckiness
Dimension: 29 x 36 cm
Material: Gouache, Watercolor on Paper
D...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache, Handmade Paper
Nude Dancer Burlesque Stripper with Purple Gloves - The Bump -
By Jack Levine
Located in Miami, FL
A gritty Burlesque Stripper with long purple gloves bumps and grinds with a hard-driving beat. American Social Realist artist Jack Levine paints this se...
Category
1970s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Charcoal, Oil, Board
He brought the dawn in its wake Timothy Archer 21st Century Contemporary paint
Located in Paris, FR
Oil paint and pastel on paper
Signed and dated lower right
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil Pastel, Oil
Ensemble
Located in ATLANTA, GA
Jean-Louis Mendrisse is a self-taught painter born in 1955 in Clermont-Ferrand.
Art, family affairs
Jean-Louis Mendrisse studied the deal with his famous sculptor father, Jean Mos...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Mister Universe - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas
2019
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter born in 1981 in Strasbourg, France.
In 2007, he graduated from the DNSEP Art section at the Strasbourg Decora...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The faithfuls - Joanna Flatau, Contemporary Expressionist painting
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint on canvas
Signed
Unique work
Joanna Flatau was born in Varsaw, Poland.
She graduated from Varsaw History of Arts University and from the Fine Arts Varsaw Academy in ...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
What should I do with the ball ? Julien Wolf Contemporary Expressionist Painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas
2018
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter born in 1981 in Strasbourg, France.
In 2007, he graduated from the DNSEP Art section at the Strasbourg Decora...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Terrace Theater - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oilbar and charcoal on paper
2020
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter born in 1981 in Strasbourg, France.
In 2007, he graduated from the DNSEP Art section at the St...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Charcoal, Oil Pastel
He grabs it by the tail - Julien Wolf, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas
2019
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter who was born in Strasbourg in 1981, France.
He graduated in 2007 at the DNSEP Art and Decorative Art section a...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dance Moves, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
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 inf...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
My Happy Place
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
I believe this work of Art would remind viewers about their warm childhood, give them a rekindled desire to live, and find comfort in the people surrounding them. We all need a reaso...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Peace and Tranquility 1
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Fruit Eyes
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Eternity
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Aux Confins du Dire
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mirage
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Le Coeur des Fleurs
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dreaming
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Toy Seller" Oil Painting 35" x 45" inch by Andrey Remnev
Located in Culver City, CA
"Toy Seller" Oil Painting 35" x 45" inch by Andrey Remnev
ARTIST BIO:
"My birth place is Yakhroma town, in the vicinity of Moscow. It is situated on high hills, from where broad Bruegelian vistas are open. The uneven terrain with significant differences of high and low; a canal between the Moskva river and the Volga; small rivers, woods and villages; a nearby ancient town of Dmitrov, which is equal to Moscow in age; ships cruising the canal and trains outdistancing them – all this I saw from my window since my early years. It was a view that embraced all the diversity of the world. This is why I can say that the impressions of my childhood and youth – beautiful nature and remarkable people – are the most important ones.
In the museum of Moscow's St. Andronic Monastery I copied the best examples of the old Russian painting...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
The Yellow Bouquet seated female figure with flowers soft yellow and pink
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Seated woman in a pink suit strong yet warm color consistent with the artist's palette. It is painted on jute a coarse type of burlap mounted on a cradled wood board . Framing recomm...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil, Jute
Le Violoniste - Expressionist Oil, Portrait of a Violinist by Jean Albert Pougny
By Jean Pougny
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed expressionist oil on canvas portrait circa 1942 by French painter Jean Albert Pougny. The work depicts a violinist in an interior.
Signatur...
Category
1940s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Le port de Sète (South of France) - Oil on canvas, 66x92 cm., framed
Located in Nice, FR
Oil on Canvas by François Desnoyer, not framed. It depictes the port at Sète, in Occitanie, France.
François Desnoyer, né à Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) le 30 septembre 1894, et mort...
Category
1950s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Man original figurative drawing painting
By A. Costa
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Man. original figurative drawing painting. virtual frame
Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965
It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD.
He wa...
Category
1960s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Carbon Pencil
70 shades of gray
Located in London, GB
Painting:oil on paper
Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork
Size:42,5x30,5x0,1
Frame:Not Framed
Olga Volha Piashko background is in fine and graphic arts, working in a wide range of style...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
In Love - original abstract figurative water painting - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
"Reading a Book" by Irina Yermolova is an enchanting depiction of freedom and serenity, embodied by a female figure gracefully floating in tranquil waters. Painted with warm orange-r...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Flower Intrigue-original impressionism figurative oil painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
"Flower Intrigue" by Iryna Yermolova is a mesmerizing abstract floral figurative painting that seamlessly merges the beauty of nature with the grace of the human form. Executed with ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Reading - original abstract figurative female form painting - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
"Reading a Book" by Irina Yermolova captures the essence of pondering and wonderment through the graceful depiction of a woman laid horizontally in a classic life drawing position, h...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Peace and Tranquility 2
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Agbeke Spotted Again
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Expressionist Judaica French Israeli Modernist Art Oil Painting Rabbi, Musician
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a bright, colorful oil painting of a Hasidic Musician in the the holy city of Jerusalem, Israel
1972,
Oil on canvas,
29 X 26 inches
Hand signed and dated.
George Cheme...
Category
1970s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Bird Trainers seated male standing female figure white tropical bird hot color
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Surrealistic, stylized magic realism oil painting of oversize bird and 2 people
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
In a small town. 1969, paper, watercolor, 36x48 cm
Located in Riga, LV
In a small town. 1969, paper, watercolor, 36x48 cm
Dzidra Bauma (1930)
Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural compositions, portraits, landscapes, flowers an...
Category
1960s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Oranges. Montilla Oil on canvas. Orange, Yelow, Fuchsia Expressionist Still-Life
Located in Segovia, ES
"Oranges" oil on canvas. Expressionist colorful still life.
Measurements: (H) 61 x (W) 46 x (D) 2 cm.
Framed: (H) 81 x (W) 66 x (D) 4 cm
Expressionist still life with ...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
Elegance
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
About Artist
Ogu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
In Her Prime
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
About Artist
Ogu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Lingering
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Lingering" is an artwork that captures the essence of anticipation and longing. It portrays a seated woman, elegantly dressed in an orange gown, engrossed in her thoughts as she eage...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Chinese Shop Window, Lower East Side
By Gandy Brodie
Located in Lawrence, NY
Gouache and pastel on paper
An artist whose work was simultaneously figurative and abstract, Brodie was praised as "one of the best painters of his generation" by art historian, Mey...
Category
1960s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Gouache
American Modernist Oil Painting Expressionist Vase, Flowers WPA Artist Ben ZIon
Located in Surfside, FL
Ben-Zion (1897-1987)
Flower Piece with Black Vase
Oil on board, Hand signed 'Ben-Zion ' lower right, with the artist 's label and label from Duveen-Graham gallery, NY.
16 x 7 3/4 i...
Category
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Coll Bardolet 44 Bolero Baile Mallorquin original expressionist watercolor
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Bolero Mallorquin original expressionist watercolor painting.
Spanish painter maximum representative of the art of Mallorca at the end of the 20th century. Costumbrista work. With d...
Category
1980s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
Raventos 36 Beethoven Mussic original expressionist mixed media painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Beethoven original expressionist mixed media painting
RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930).
Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in B...
Category
Early 2000s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Amedee de La PATELLIERE, Eclipse with 4 Characters, 1928
Located in Saint Amans des cots, FR
Oil on canvas by Amedee de La PATELLIERE, France, 1928. Eclipse with four characters. With frame: 63x54 cm - 24.8x21.25 inches ; without frame: 41x33 cm - 16.15x13 inches. Format 6F....
Category
1920s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Give Me the Truth, Not Roses
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In the quest to find utopia, I realized the role of truth and honesty in society cannot be underemphasized. It takes a thousand lies to cover a truth and this could lead to damaging ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Series "The Imaginary traveler nº29" Expressionist corner with flowers and cat.
Located in Segovia, ES
Series "The Imaginary traveler nº29" Expressionist corner with flowers and cat.
Oil on linen by Chico Montilla.
Measurements: (H) 100 x (W) 81 x (D) 2 cm.
Framed (H) 112 x (W) 93 ...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
Until Tomorrow (Tan Yfory). South Wales Valleys. Mining. Miner End of Shift.
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Elin Siân Blake.
Welsh ( b.1981).
Until Tomorrow (Tan Yfory).
Oil on artist’s canvas board.
Signed lower right.
Image size 9.5 inches x 11.6 inches ( 24cm x 29.5cm ).
Frame size 16....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Pruna 6 Women Sketch for Bocaccio original watercolor painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Pere Pruna Ocerans (Barcelona, 1904-1977) was a Catalan painter and illustrator of figurative style.
In 1920, with only 17 years and hardly any academic training, he traveled to ...
Category
1970s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
Coll Bardolet 78 Bolero Baile Mallorquin original expressionist watercolor
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Bolero Mallorquin original expressionist watercolor painting.
Spanish painter maximum representative of the art of Mallorca at the end of the 20th century. Costumbrista work. With d...
Category
1980s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
'Passing By' by Mary Titus - Large Colorful Figurative Abstract Painting
By Mary Titus
Located in Carmel, CA
Mary Titus’s "Passing By" is an expressionist figurative work that captures the fleeting moments of life. Measuring 60" x 72", this acrylic on canvas features a shadowy figure traver...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Self Portrait
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Jirayr Zorthian(1911-2004), went through two Turkish massacres before age eight. He left Turkey at age nine with his family and spent a year in Padua, Italy, waiting for his visa to...
Category
1950s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Margo Is A Real Drag After 10:30" Modern Expressionist Figurative
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
"Margo Is A Real Drag After 10:30 is from Sandra Jones Campbell's upcoming collection, "Nocturne," a series that displays her unique vision of the world and is informed by her curren...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
African Boy II
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
African Boy is a series of paintings by talented artist Faith Gbadero. This series of Artworks captures the response and attitudes of African young adults to the struggles and roller...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
I'm stronger than you think and even than I think
Located in Sempach, LU
Participant SOLO EXHIBITION in Thun, Switzerland "Strength, and Vulnerability" December 2022. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about this artwork.
MATERIALS:
Th...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Donna con calze Rosse" Olio su cartone cm. 50 x 70 1984
Located in Torino, IT
Figura femminile con calze rosse
Edgardo CORBELLI (Turin, 1918 - 1989)
From the traditional composition of the 1930s, the painting of Corbelli leads to technical and expressive resu...
Category
1980s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Against the sea wind IV
Located in Sempach, LU
In this oil painting, I've mingled the strokes of impressionism with realism to capture not just a scene, but an emotion. The sailboat against the tempestuous sea speaks to the coura...
Category
2010s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Performer
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Performer
Artist signed lower right, canvas 28"x31"75
Nicola Simbari was born in Italy and grow up in Rome. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, and in the 1940s he beg...
Category
1970s Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Deserving More
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In "Deserving More," the central figure, a man, sits solemnly on a chair, his gaze piercing through the canvas to meet the audience's eyes. A subtle sadness etches his features, refl...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Fabric, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Expressionist figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist figurative 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 figurative 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, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Evelyne Ballestra, Julien Wolf, Stephen Basso, and Bernard Harmon. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil 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 Expressionist figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available.