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Expressionist 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
Color:  Green
Bloom on the Water-original abstract floral landscape painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
"Bloom on the Water" by Valery Khattin is a mesmerizing original abstract landscape painting that captures the essence of nature in a vibrant and expressive form. Executed with skill...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Wildflowers-original abstract floral landscape painting- modern contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
Artist Biography: Born 1964, Russian Khattin is a formally-trained painter from Saint Petersburg, Russia. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, Khattin has exhibited wi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Shallow Waters-original abstract floral landscape oil painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
"Shallow Waters" by Valery Khattin is an exquisite original abstract landscape painting that captures the essence of a serene and shallow stream surrounded by blossoms. Crafted with ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Boy Waiting, Portrait of a Young Man by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Boy Waiting" is an oil on board portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon of a young man with somber expression, sitting on a chair. This work features a second environmental portrait on verso. The painting is 41.75" x 35.75" in size and is signed "Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. Provenance: Estate of the Artist; Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Bernard Harmon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. Harmon was primarily a portrait painter and a well loved teacher in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School and Temples Tyler School of Art, Harmon traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Beloved by many, Harmon taught in the Philadelphia School District for 32 of his 54 years of life. Beginning his career as an art teacher at West Philadelphia High School, in the early 1960s he became one of the district's artists in residence, traveling from school to school to demonstrate for students how an artist works. Returning to the classroom, Harmon joined the art department at Central High School where he taught for 14 years and became an innovator in art curriculum, developing a program offering advanced placement art classes to gifted students. In his final years Harmon became a supervisor, mentoring teachers and overseeing programs in the Philadelphia school systems District #1. During his short life Harmon taught collage preparatory art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, summer classes at the University of the Arts, and a Saturday program for gifted children at Drexel University. Among Harmon's portraits were commissioned by Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Bernard Harmon was active in promoting African American Artist throughout his life time. He organized many early shows such as the "Afro American Artists 1800 - 1969" at the Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center in 1969. He was considered a Renaissance man by friends and colleagues for his interests not only in art but music and theater as well. He was familiar and friends with many other African American artists such as Doc Thrash, Selma Burke...
Category

1960s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

In Line
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "In Line" 1974 in a oil painting on canvas by Irish artist Rita Lipton, b.1916. It is signed and dated at the lower left corner by the artist. The canvas size is 24 x 12...
Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Sade
Located in Nashville, TN
"Sade" is an acrylic-on-canvas painting of the Nigerian-born British singer/songwriter Sade Adu by Nashville artist James Threalkill. People being his prima...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Bike Racks, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting is a re-creation of an interesting landscape scene I frequent often. It is located in Eagle Lake Park near my home. The lavender building is the bathroom, a nice convenience for my long walks haha. The bike racks...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Easy, godlike figure, water, reflection, mystical images, blues, greens
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Watercolor, mixed media, using resists. Janet Morgan’s explosive art captures the exuberance and deep wisdom we humans yearn to experience. Her sense of...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Mixed Media, Archival Paper

Bison 4
Located in Denver, CO
Lisa Bostwick has had pieces exhibited at the Legion of Honor, Napa Valley Museum, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and the de Young Museum. Her North Am...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Wood Panel, Acrylic

Bison 3
Located in Denver, CO
Lisa Bostwick has had pieces exhibited at the Legion of Honor, Napa Valley Museum, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and the de Young Museum. Her North Am...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Wood Panel, Acrylic

Bison 1
Located in Denver, CO
Lisa Bostwick has had pieces exhibited at the Legion of Honor, Napa Valley Museum, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and the de Young Museum. Her North Am...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Wood Panel, Acrylic

Stringer, colorful green figurative abstraction
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Watercolor, mixed media, using resists. Janet Morgan’s explosive art captures the exuberance and deep wisdom we humans yearn to experience. Her sense of...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Mixed Media, Archival Paper

Dancer in Red - Large Colorful Expressive Figurative Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bettina Mauel expresses vitality and sensuality in her abstract and figurative paintings. “I paint what I experience,” she articulates. “This includes landscapes, dancers, and peop...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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The Train Set - British 20's art interior oil portrait boy playing female artist
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Signed French Impressionist Oil Painting Portrait of a Man seated in Library
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H 44.49 in W 42.52 in D 1.19 in
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Early Light
Located in Baltimore, MD
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The Green Tablecloth - 20th Century Oil, Still Life of Fruit & Jugs by A E Rice
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Expressionist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist 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 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, orange, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Iryna Kastsova, Maria Asuncion Raventos, Masri Hayssam, and Evelyne Ballestra. 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available.

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