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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
Mid Century Modern Mini Expressive Landscape Oil Painting - Woodland Colour
Mid Century Modern Mini Expressive Landscape Oil Painting - Woodland Colour

Mid Century Modern Mini Expressive Landscape Oil Painting - Woodland Colour

Located in Bristol, GB

WOODLAND COLOUR Size: 38 x 33 cm (including frame) Oil on board A small but very impactful mid century modernist landscape composition, painted in oil onto board. In this painting ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Still Life Tabletop with Fruit
Still Life Tabletop with Fruit

Still Life Tabletop with Fruit

By George Chemeche

Located in Surfside, FL

This is a bright, colorful oil painting of a table top with fruit. Banana, Pomegranate and glass of water. George Chemeche was born in Israel in 1934 and studied at the Avni Art Sc...

Category

1960s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Melody in G" Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown large  42x32" acrylic on canvas
"Melody in G" Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown large  42x32" acrylic on canvas

"Melody in G" Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown large 42x32" acrylic on canvas

By Kim Simmonds

Located in Southampton, NY

Sad news of the passing of this great artist, guitarist and founding member of Savoy Brown. Kim was a long-time friend who will be missed by fans and all that loved him worldwide. Considered one of the architects of British blues, Kim Simmonds was the founder and lead guitarist of the internationally known Rock and Roll and Blues band SAVOY BROWN. He started the Savoy Brown Blues Band in 1965 and early gigs included performing with Eric Clapton and Cream. On stage in America, Rod Stewart and the Faces and KISS opened for Savoy Brown in the early days. As a soloist and leader of Savoy Brown, Kim Simmonds has released over 47 albums. This painting is as much a part of Music memorabilia...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Two Koi June 2

Two Koi June 2

By Linda Holt

Located in Wellesley, MA

"Two Koi, June 2," Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40 Inches, koi fish swimming underwater, brilliant and vivid color, fluid and painterly style, luscious. This painting is sold individually ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

At the Theatre
At the Theatre

At the Theatre

By Donald Roy Purdy

Located in New York, NY

Born in 1924 Donald Purdy in the 1960s did a series of works on clay-coated paper. He loved working in this medium and he would apply oil paint and then rub it away with a cloth to ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Clay, Oil, Board

Snap Peas, Expressionist  Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Snap Peas, Expressionist  Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

Snap Peas, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

By Bernard Harmon

Located in Doylestown, PA

"Snap Peas" is an interior portrait of a young woman working at her kitchen table, painted by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 24" x 36" oil on board painting from 1955 is signed "Harmon" in the lower left and it is framed in a new black wood frame. 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

1950s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

La Veille

La Veille

By François LEGRAND

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born in 1951, François Legrand was introduced to painting as a teenager by Philippe Lejeune in Etampes. In 1973, he moved to Loiret. From 1974 to 197...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Miranda
Miranda

Miranda

By René Romero Schuler

Located in Westport, CT

This beautiful blue painting is by René Romero Schuler. Her expressionistic paintings depict delicate female figures that she paints using a dry-brushed, minimalist hand, leaving her...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Little Things (Original)

The Little Things (Original)

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

10” x 6” Unframed Original Acrylic on Canvas Board Hand Signed by Todd White Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting colors serving the viewer’...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Expressionistic landscape oil painting 'Red Stand'
Expressionistic landscape oil painting 'Red Stand'

Expressionistic landscape oil painting 'Red Stand'

By Ken Elliott

Located in White Plains, NY

Available at Madelyn Jordon Fine Art. 'Red Stand' 2011 by American artist, Ken Elliott. Oil on canvas, 40 x 40 in. This painting of a forest incorporates a palette of rich colors in red, orange, yellow, purple, and blue. Colorado based artist Ken Elliott, focuses on the western landscape and its rich store of ideas and inspiration. Painting rural scenery, the artist does not try to recreate nature or attempt storytelling but instead, wields color boldly, creating vibrant, contemporary landscapes that are both animated and peaceful. Early in his career, he was a student of Wolf Kahn, who inspired his work. Since 1988, Elliott’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries nationwide. His work is collected in corporate art collections such as Hewlett Packard, Ritz Hotel, Mayo Clinic...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled

Untitled

By Jean Louis MENDRISSE

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 Paintings

Materials

Oil

Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Landscape Framed Oil Painting - Planes
Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Landscape Framed Oil Painting - Planes

Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Landscape Framed Oil Painting - Planes

Located in Bristol, GB

PLANES Size: 36 x 70 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas A beautifully textured and atmospheric mid-century landscape composition, executed in oil onto canvas. The painting presents...

Category

1960s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Dusk in the Garden - Greenwich Village  - Moody Monochromatic - Whitney  Museum
Dusk in the Garden - Greenwich Village  - Moody Monochromatic - Whitney  Museum

Dusk in the Garden - Greenwich Village - Moody Monochromatic - Whitney Museum

By Philip Evergood

Located in Miami, FL

The setting reminds us of a Rear Window by Alfred Hickcock but Evergood did it 8 years before. It's most likely Greenwich Village since Evergood lived there. This is a very big and heavy to lift painting Signed lower left Framed 56 x 51 in a period very heavy rustic wood frame. Exhibited Center Gallery, Bucknell University, PA, among others venus. gallery label remnants on verso - The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis The Whitney Museum of American Art Annual 1949 - Label Provenance: Naomi and Walter Rosenblum Best Viewed with a top gallery light...

Category

1940s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Turquoise Symphony #2 - Lucy Moore
Turquoise Symphony #2 - Lucy Moore

Turquoise Symphony #2 - Lucy Moore

By Lucy Moore

Located in Deddington, GB

original Acrylic on canvas Image size: H:60 cm x W:60 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:60 cm x W:60 cm x D:1.5cm Sold Unframed Please note that insitu images are purely an i...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Unfinished Ram
Unfinished Ram

Unfinished Ram

Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Robert Kitchen, American (1949 - 2009) Unfinished Ram, 2009 Acrylic on canvas, unframed, signed on back with the estate stamp. Robert Kitchen was born ...

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Peek a Bunny

Peek a Bunny

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

22" x 22" Framed Original - Oil on Canvas Hand Signed by Todd Whit Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting colors serving the viewer’s eyes as t...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Red Sky at Night #9, Abstract Expressionist Style Landscape Painting, Floral Art
Red Sky at Night #9, Abstract Expressionist Style Landscape Painting, Floral Art

Red Sky at Night #9, Abstract Expressionist Style Landscape Painting, Floral Art

By Lucy Moore

Located in Deddington, GB

Red Sky At Night #9 - Using Red and orange to depict a vibrant skyline over a figurative meadow . An Original semi-abstract painting by Lucy Moore. Using her signature string grass t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Harlequin

Harlequin

By Bernard Lorjou

Located in Boca Raton, FL

Bernard Lorjou (1908–1986) was a French painter, printmaker, and co-founder of the Expressionist movement L’Homme Témoin (“The Witness”). Known for his bold colors, dramatic composit...

Category

1950s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Quarantine Blues

Quarantine Blues

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

23” x 12” Unframed Original Acrylic on Canvas Board Hand Signed by Todd White Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting colors serving the viewer’...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Haystacks on the riverbank. Cardboard, oil, 50x59.5 cm
Haystacks on the riverbank. Cardboard, oil, 50x59.5 cm

Haystacks on the riverbank. Cardboard, oil, 50x59.5 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Haystacks on the riverbank. Cardboard, oil, 50x59.5 cm Jurgis Skulme (1928-2015) – painter, art scientist. 1954 – The graduating State Art Academy of Latvia, the monumental departm...

Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

The pine trees. 1968, oil on canvas, 50x73 cm. Signed

The pine trees. 1968, oil on canvas, 50x73 cm. Signed

By Arijs Skride

Located in Riga, LV

Arijs Skride (1906.24.IX Madonna parish – 1987.22.XI Riga), painter. Arijs Skride was born into a farmer's family. Wife Gundega Vaska – graphic artist. At the age of 15, he passed ...

Category

1960s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Potato joint work in Piebalga. 1986, oil on canvas, 48.5x68 cm

Potato joint work in Piebalga. 1986, oil on canvas, 48.5x68 cm

By Arijs Skride

Located in Riga, LV

Arijs Skride (1906.24.IX Madonna parish – 1987.22.XI Riga), painter. Arijs Skride was born into a farmer's family. Wife Gundega Vaska – graphic artist. At the age of 15, he passed ...

Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Home in Vecpiebalga. 1976, oil on canvas, 50x70 cm

Home in Vecpiebalga. 1976, oil on canvas, 50x70 cm

By Arijs Skride

Located in Riga, LV

Arijs Skride (1906.24.IX Madonna parish – 1987.22.XI Riga), painter. Arijs Skride was born into a farmer's family. Wife Gundega Vaska – graphic artist. At the age of 15, he passed ...

Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

At Lielupe. 1971, oil on canvas, 50x73 cm

At Lielupe. 1971, oil on canvas, 50x73 cm

By Arijs Skride

Located in Riga, LV

Arijs Skride (1906.24.IX Madonna parish – 1987.22.XI Riga), painter. Arijs Skride was born into a farmer's family. Wife Gundega Vaska – graphic artist. At the age of 15, he passed ...

Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Landscape. Oil on canvas, 48x70 cm
Landscape. Oil on canvas, 48x70 cm

Landscape. Oil on canvas, 48x70 cm

By Arijs Skride

Located in Riga, LV

Arijs Skride (1906.24.IX Madonna parish – 1987.22.XI Riga), painter. Arijs Skride was born into a farmer's family. Wife Gundega Vaska – graphic artist. At the age of 15, he passed ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Autumn. Oil on canvas, 64x99 cm. Signed lower right corner
Autumn. Oil on canvas, 64x99 cm. Signed lower right corner

Autumn. Oil on canvas, 64x99 cm. Signed lower right corner

By Arijs Skride

Located in Riga, LV

Arijs Skride (1906.24.IX Madonna parish – 1987.22.XI Riga), painter. Arijs Skride was born into a farmer's family. Wife Gundega Vaska – graphic artist. At the age of 15, he passed ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

River. 1933. Oil on cardboard. 36 x 43 cm
River. 1933. Oil on cardboard. 36 x 43 cm

River. 1933. Oil on cardboard. 36 x 43 cm

By Janis Pupols

Located in Riga, LV

Janis Pupols (1886 – 1956) Graduated Landscape studio of V. Purvitis in Latvia Art academy (1927). He took part in exhibitions since 1925. Artist painted landscapes in different t...

Category

1930s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

In the meadow. 1931. Oil on canvas, 25x34 cm
In the meadow. 1931. Oil on canvas, 25x34 cm

In the meadow. 1931. Oil on canvas, 25x34 cm

By Janis Pupols

Located in Riga, LV

Janis Pupols (1886 – 1956) Graduated Landscape studio of V. Purvitis in Latvia Art academy (1927). He took part in exhibitions since 1925. Artist painted landscapes in different t...

Category

1930s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Autumn. 2011, oil on cardboard, 48x35 cm
Autumn. 2011, oil on cardboard, 48x35 cm

Autumn. 2011, oil on cardboard, 48x35 cm

By Ludmila Perec

Located in Riga, LV

Ludmilla Perec was born in 1959 in Uzbekistan. Graduated from the State University of Latvia with a degree in theoretical astrophysics. She learned the professional drawing in the st...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Hyacinths
Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Hyacinths

Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Hyacinths

Located in Bristol, GB

HYACINTHS Size: 52 x 42 cm (including frame) Oil on Board An expressive and beautifully textured mid-century floral still life painting, executed in oil onto board. The composition...

Category

1950s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Small town. Oil on canvas, 73x56 cm
Small town. Oil on canvas, 73x56 cm

Small town. Oil on canvas, 73x56 cm

Located in Riga, LV

(1907.22.V Revele - 1994.4.X Riga) - painter and teacher. He graduated Riga's 1. gymnasium, studied at Latvia's University in the Faculty of phililogy and theology. Also studied in L...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

South. 1993, oil on canvas, 55 x 60.1 cm

South. 1993, oil on canvas, 55 x 60.1 cm

By Roman Lapp

Located in Riga, LV

Roman Lapp (1961. 24. VII Moscow) – painter Artist learned drawing to M. Zuhovickis. He graduated Art Academy of Latvia, department of monumental painting (1988) with diploma work...

Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Atlanta, 2018

Atlanta, 2018

By Robert VERLUCA

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born August 4, 1945 in Chambéry. Apprenticeship in 1984 at the Etampes school founded and run by the painter Philipe Lejeune. -Price "Finez Planard" awarded by the Taylor Foundation...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Forest Calm by Amanda Horvath, Landscape, Trees, Botanical, Expressionist
Forest Calm by Amanda Horvath, Landscape, Trees, Botanical, Expressionist

Forest Calm by Amanda Horvath, Landscape, Trees, Botanical, Expressionist

Located in Deddington, GB

Forest Calm [2022] original and hand signed by the artist Acrylics on canvas Image size: H:76 cm x W:76 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:76 cm x W:76 cm x D:3.5cm Sold Unfra...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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.