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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
Period: 1970s
Still life with flowers. Oil on cardboard, 50x40 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Still life with flowers. Oil on cardboard, 50x40 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the Stalingrad School ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Cardboard, Oil

Sunset. 1977, Oil on canvas, 86x100 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Sunset. 1977, Oil on canvas, 86x100 cm View on the village at evening Valdis Bush (1924-2014) studied at the Art academy of Latvia (1945 – 1950), his fav...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The fishmonger La Rambla Barcelona oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Unframed Manuel Capdevila i Massana (Barcelona, ​​December 28, 1910 - April 18, 2006) was a Catalan painter and goldsmith, son of the goldsmith Joaquín Capdevila y Meya and father o...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lunch at Chez Louis
Located in London, GB
'Lunch at Chez Louis', oil on canvas, by Roland Dubuc (circa 1970s). The outdoor terrace at restaurants and cafés in France goes back centuries as they have always been a gathering place for intellectuals to meet and debate philosophical issues; for the Avant Garde set to display their works; for artists to compare and exchange ideas and for writers to drown their sorrows over their artistic anguish or melancholy. Even the freedom fighters of the French Revolution and later the French Resistance would meet in cafés to plot their course. Regular people of course also enjoy these venues. A very delightful feature of these French institutions is that there is always room for quiet book readers, romantic couples, business meetings and lively groups of friends sharing a bottle of wine. The artist Dubuc captures a slice of this lovely aspect of French culture in this smile-inducing depiction painted in vivid oils. With a background of greenery, the patrons enjoy the outdoors protected from the intense sun by the table's parasols. Ah, the life. The artwork is in good vintage condition, is framed and signed by the artist in the lower left hand corner. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying this listing. Upon request a video may be provided. About the Artist: Roland DuBuc (1924-1998), French artist, the sixth of 13 children and son of a construction worker. The very precariousness of the family's financial situation forced him to go to work at the age of 14. In extreme poverty, he moved to Rouen where he was lodged by the Salvation Army. During that time he struck up friendships with several artists who gave him advice and taught him techniques of drawing. He moved to other cities later where he met painters including, among others, Fred Pailhès...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract with Subject 10 (House), Painting by John Clem Clarke
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: John Clem Clarke, American (1937 - ) Title: Abstract with Subject 10 (House) Year: 1972 Medium: Acrylic and Spraypaint on Canvas, signed and dated verso Size: 70 x 40 in. (1...
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1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Autumn wind. Cardboard, oil, 85x100 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Autumn wind. Cardboard, oil, 85x100 cm Landscape in earth colors Valdis Bush (1924-2014) studied at the Art academy of Latvia (1945 – 1950), his favorite professors being A. Skride...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Tulips on the black background. 1975, cardboard, oil, 50x39 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Tulips on the black background. Cardboard, oil, 50x39 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art schola...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Girl at Desk, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Girl at Desk" is an oil on board portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon of a young woman, presumably a student, sitting by her desk. This work features a second portrait on verso of an elegant older woman. The painting is 40" x 36" in size and is signed "Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. 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, Paul Keene...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Tableau n°67 by Jean Krillé - Oil on wood 62x47 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Of Germanic descent, the painter Jean Krillé was born in 1923 in Switzerland. His father, writer and poet, oriented him towards art and culture. From the age of 16, he enrolled at th...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Fashion Girl, Expressionist Portrait of a Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Fashion Girl" is an oil on board portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon of a stylishly dressed woman sitting on a chair. This work features a se...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Pattern Skirt, Expressionist Portrait of a Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Pattern Skirt" is an oil on board interior portrait of a young woman sitting, painted by Philadelphia born Expressionist artist Bernard Harmon. The painting is 39 1/2" x 36" in size...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Conversation in the Theater - Expressionist Figurative Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold and expressive large scale figurative abstract painting of two people conversing in a theater, with a silhouette of a third figure in the foreground, by Jane Voitle Mellin (Amer...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Self portrait original oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Joan Cruspinera Muñoz was born in 1945 in Tiana, Barcelona. This Catalan artist is a painter, draftsman and painter. His training is extensive and int...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Flowers. 1972, paper, watercolor, 31x23 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Flowers. 1972, paper, watercolor, 31x23 cm Oskars Berzins (1940)
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Young technicians. 1978, watercolor on paper, 25x28 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Young technicians. 1978, watercolor on paper, 25x28 cm Dzidra Bauma (1930) Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural compositions, portraits, landscapes, flower...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Millennium 1976., Oil on canvas, 80x80 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Millennium. 1976., Oil on canvas, 80x80 cm Evening landscape by the lake Valdis Bush (1924-2014) studied at the Art academy of Latvia (1945 – 1950), his favorite professors being A...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Modern Man, Expressionist Portrait in Red, White, and Blue
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Modern Man" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 40" x 36" oil on canvas portrait features a young African American man posing casually and s...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Boat. 1975, canvas, oil, 54.5x60.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Boats. 1975, canvas, oil, 54.5x60.5 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the Stalingrad School of Art, Sarat...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Procession With Elephant
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Procession with elephant, expressionist style oil painting, signed and dated. George Russin was born in New York, he attended the High School of Music and Art to pursue both fields o...
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1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Hippie portrait original oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frame size 80x69 cm. Joan Cruspinera Muñoz was born in 1945 in Tiana, Barcelona. This Catalan artist is a painter, draftsman and painter. His training...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Stars and Stripes, Expressionist Portrait with American Flag
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Stars and Stripes" is an oil on board portrait of a young woman with an American Flag, painted by Philadelphia born Expressionist artist Bernard Harmon. The painting is 41 3/4" x 35...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Blonde in Red Swim Suit
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Charles Levier, French (1920 - 2003) Title: Blonde I Year: circa 1960 Medium: Watercolor on paper, signed l.l. Size: 16 x 11 inches Paper Size: 25 x 19.5 in. (63.5 x 49.53 cm)
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1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Sunset in the forest. 1972., Cardboard, oil, 46x73 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Sunset in the forest. 1972., Cardboard, oil, 46x73 cm Colorful landscape, in blue, yellow, pink colors Valdis Bush (1924-2014) studied at the Art academy...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Cardboard, Oil

Tableau n°57 by Jean Krillé - Oil on wood
Located in Geneva, CH
Of Germanic descent, the painter Jean Krillé was born in 1923 in Switzerland. His father, writer and poet, oriented him towards art and culture. From the age of 16, he enrolled at th...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Modern Mid Century Expressionist Floral Oil Painting Framed Blue White Lily
Located in Buffalo, NY
A beautiful modern expressionist painting depicting a white lily flower. This work though unsigned is clearly by the hand of a very talented artist. The work comes in an artist mad...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Girls at the Gate, Oil Painting by Wellington Virgolino de Sousa
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Wellington Virgolino de Sousa, Brazilian (1929 - 1988) Title: Meninas No Portao (Girls at the Gate) Year: 1974 Medium: Oil on board, signed lower Size...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Young Girl in Green
Located in Chicago, IL
In a letter written to Czóbel after he had become quite ill in 1975, famous Portuguese painter Vieira da Silva writes: “My very dear Czóbel, We em...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blonde, Watercolor Painting by Charles Levier
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Charles Levier, French (1920 - 2003) Title: Blonde Year: circa 1970 Medium: Watercolor on paper, signed l.l. Size: 16 x 11 inches Paper Size: 25 x 19.5 in. (63.5 x 49.53 cm)
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Portrait of a Girl, Oil Painting by Sandu Liberman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Sandu Liberman, Romanian/Israeli (1923 - 1977) Title: Portrait of a Girl Year: Circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 13 x 10 in. (33.02 x 25.4 cm) Frame Size:...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Woman with Flowers III, Oil Painting by Juan Garcia Ripolles
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Juan Garcia Ripolles, Spanish (1932 - ) Title: Woman with Flowers III Year: 1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 18 in. x 10.5 in. (45.72 cm x 26.67 cm)
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mother and Daughter, Oil Painting by Sandu Liberman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Sandu Liberman, Romanian/Israeli (1923 - 1977) Title: Mother and Daughter Year: Circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 36 x 24 in. (91.44 x 60.96 cm) Frame Size:...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Artist III, Oil Painting, 1970 by Juan Garcia Ripolles
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Juan Garcia Ripolles, Spanish (1932 - ) Title: The Artist III Year: 1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 19.5 in. x 24 in. (49.53 cm x 60.96 cm) Frame Size: 22 x 27 ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Modernist Blue Nude in Profile - Figurative Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold and expressive oil portrait of a modernist nude figure in blue seated in profile with bright yellow flowers by Allie William “Bill” Skelton (American, 1942-1986). Signed and dated "Allie Bill Skelton '72" by the artist in the lower right corner. Unframed. Image size: 48.75"H x 32.75"W. Allie William “Bill” Skelton (American, 1942-1986) was a painter and sculptor active in San Francisco who was involved in the gay art...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mother, Oil Painting by Chaim Goldberg
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Chaim Goldberg, Israeli (1917-2004) Title: Mother Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed in English lower left and Hebrew lower right Size: 24 x 20 inche...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Couple Dancing at Sunset - Bay Area Figurative School
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderfully expressive Bay Area Figurative School piece featuring a silhouette of a couple in a dynamic and colorful sunset landscape scene ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

"Mexican Landscape Scene with Female Figures and Child" Expressionistic Style
Located in New York, NY
A strong modernist oil painting depicted in the Mid Century by Russian painter Michael Baxte. Mostly known for his abstracted figures on canvas or street scenes, this piece is a wond...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Genesis II
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to premier for the first time in more than twenty years, the paintings of Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger (1910–1995). ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Equilibrium in the High Wire
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Leandro Velasco, Colombian (1933 - ) Title: Equilibrium in the High Wire Year: 1974 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed and dated l.l. Size: 60 x 50 in. (152.4 x 127 cm)
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Angela" Oil cm. 100 x 70 1979
Located in Torino, IT
Woman reclining, pink we send the work anywhere Edgardo CORBELLI (Turin, 1918 - 1989) From the traditional composition of the 1930s, the painting of Corbelli leads to technical and ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mujer de Juchitan
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Raul Anguiano, Mexican (1915 - 2006) Title Mujer de Juchitan Year: 1974 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l., signed, dated and titled verso Size: 25.5 x 37.25 in. (64.77 x 94...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Dream Mystique
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Dream Mystique Artist signed and titled, new frame. Wallace Bassford was an American painter and illustrator, born in 1900 in St. Louis Missouri, he attended the St. Louis School of ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Third Eye
Located in Buffalo, NY
An unsigned large scale oil on un-stretched canvas, created in the 1970's. This work is meant to hang pinned to the wall.
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Picador
Located in New York, NY
During the artists carrier he only painted 2 Picador's of this size for the exhibition at Galerie Maurice Garnier, in Paris France, who was his dealer at the time. Shortly after the ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Masquerade by Jean Jansem
Located in La Canada Flintridge, CA
The Masquerade, oil painting signed lower right JANSEM. The painting size is 38"x51" with framed (original frame) size 47"x60". Excellent in condition. From 1934 – 1936 he attended ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Jeuenes Pins a La Cadiere D'Azur by Laurent Marcel Salinas
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Laurent Marcel Salinas, French (1913 - 2010) Title: Jeunes Pins a La Cadiere D'Azur, 616 Year: 1977 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed and dated verso Image Size: 17.75 x 25 inche...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Repose #1
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to premier for the first time in more than twenty years, the paintings of Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger (1910–1995). ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Repose #2
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to premier for the first time in more than twenty years, the paintings of Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger (1910–1995). ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Repose #3
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to premier for the first time in more than twenty years, the paintings of Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger (1910–1995). ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

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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