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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
Parrots, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Jorge Calero is a Portuguese-Colombian artist whose main goal is to rise compassion towards nature by enhancing our visual experience by interiorizing the experience of seeing more ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Mid Century Portrait of Actress Paula Laurence - Wife of Joseph Hirshhorn
Located in Miami, FL
Quick and loose expressionist portrait of stage and screen actress Paula Laurence Portrait of Paula Laurence (1916-2005). Oil and graphite on linen. Signed top right. Exhibited: "Lil...
Category

1950s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Graphite

Morning (series lotus) - ( 3panel - 65cm x 135cm), Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
I paint the lotus flower early in the morning when the sun has not yet risen and is still covered with mist. Lotus is a pure flower with a very gentle, ethereal fragrance, it is a sy...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Jay-Z., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Jay-Z. Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, executive producer and entrepreneur. Painted in a modern style wi...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Aphrodite 350 BC, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The essence of Aphrodite's power was her ability to provoke desire. Sexual allure was long an intrinsic aspect of Aphrodite, and erotic pleasures were referred to as ta Aphrodisia, "...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

February Figure, female nude, greys earth tones
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil and oil stick over ink on paper. Neutral limited color, expressionist female nude with active brush strokes.
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel, Ink, Oil

Spotlight, seated female figure with plants warm and cool green combinations
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This is an oil on linen painting signed and dated on reverse.
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

A Quiet Moment, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
This is part of my new series of raw and emotive paintings that keep it simple but will make you feel something. They are painted on heavy duty fine art paper and look fantastic when matted and framed. This particular painting shows two nude people...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Ellen Hackl Fagan, Primer, 2001, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic Paint, Graphite
Located in Darien, CT
Ellen Hackl Fagan creates works of art focused on building a visual language. Primer is a large acrylic on canvas painting that was painted during the attacks on NYC on 9/11. She used the alphabet as a metaphor, as a way towards communicating anew with one another. The alphabet is a recurring theme in Fagan's work, ranging from interactive, ColorSoundGrammar works to painting, sculpture, lost languages...
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite

UNTITLED m1131 - Original Oil painting portrait, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original Oil Paint on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas of 16 by 12 by 3/4 in. ::::: Title : UNTITLED m1131 :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certifica...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Freedom of Peace, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Taken from Gray's most recent exhibition in Prague ''Lost Souls'', based on people who had gone through some recent kind of loss. The artist managed to capture the man's gaze in a...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

California Grizzly
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Photograph
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Ink

Fantasia III, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original abstract painting of fantasy and organic forms. * The artwork is signed on the back and includes a Certificate of Authenticity. * The painting is done on stretched canva...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Mirage Potentiality
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Oil
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Lovers - Night Of Passion 10, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original semi-abstract figurative acrylics painting on canvas, painted edges and ready to hang. Colourful and textured produced using the palette knife. The 10th artwork in the serie...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

salty sue and kandy korn, colorful woman and bird humorous people pets
Located in Brooklyn, NY
one of a series of people and their pets painted on wood panel suitable for framed smooth texture
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Moody Day at Mohansic Lake, Signed Original Contemporary Landscape Painting
Located in Boston, MA
Moody Day at Mohansic Lake, Signed Original Contemporary Landscape Painting 24" x 36" x 1.25" (HxWxD), Oil on Canvas Hand-signed by the artist. This landscape painting of a misty da...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Seducer, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
TThe Seducer :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: Yes :: Signature Loca...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Patrol Boys - Contemporary Figurative History Oil Painting
Located in Boston, MA
Patrol Boys 84.0 x 60.0 x 1.5, 12.0 lbs Oil on streched canvas Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Gun violence in America and the ineffective ability of our society to a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Red Ophelia, colorful abstract female nude
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An expressionist figurative oil painting integrating abstracted form and color. The title suggests the classic Shakespearean character from Hamlet and the symbolism of beauty, madnes...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Railroad Men's Wives - American Scene Painting - Social Realism
Located in Miami, FL
American Scene Painting - Social Realism. The present work is a Depression Era account of working-class men and women. Philip Howard Francis Dixon Evergood (born Howard Blashki; 190...
Category

1930s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Sweet Energy, colorful red swirling abstract mystical mixed media
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

Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper

New York City, view from Brooklyn
Located in Booklyn, NY
Looking northeast from downtown Brooklyn, Manhattan can be seen at sunset, glowing in saturated red and yellow, here depicted with vermillion and lead-tin orange. Lapis lazuli blue l...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Pigment

Upright Bass, Expressionist Portrait of Musician by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Upright Bass" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 40" x 34" oil on board group portrait of a musician is painted...
Category

1960s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Melodramatic Breakup romantic couple theme human drama humorous undertones
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on canvas signed on reverse. Heavy duty stretcher ready for display
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oil Painting Titled: Bacall
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Custom framed Christina Major was born in Concord, New Hampshire in 1982. She has lived all over the world including Hawaii, France, New York and more currently Florida. Christina...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Strongman and Fire eater circus, coney island influences colorful carnival
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on board mounted on a wooden frame suitable for immediate hanging. The board has been primed with an acrylic pumice gel giving the surface a rough texture visible from the photo...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Brass

Lovers - Love And Comfort 1, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original expressionist figurative acrylics painting on canvas, painted edges and ready to hang. Part of a new series of emotional and sensual paintings of embraced couples in love. M...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

20th century Tuscan expressionist oil on canvas painting
Located in Florence, IT
The painting (oil on canvas, 40 x 29.8 cm; with wooden frame 61 x 51 cm) depicts two figures, a woman with a smiling gaze and a man with a mustache, of which only the head is visible...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sea. Sailboat, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Inspired by love for the sea, the sunny coast of Jurmala, where I live. Painting in positive colors, uplifting and ready to be in any interior. High-quality professional oil pain...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ecstatic Fatigue, abstracted female figure, nude
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on board. Abstracted, expressionist, figurative. Cool and warm greys with heightened color.
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

To War, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The original painting "To War" was created with colourful acrylic paints on a standard canvas. Ideal for your home, living room, dining room, bedroom or office. The size of this p...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Abstract Patterns Three, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
In this magical forest, we all stretch to the sky while cotton snow-drops fall gently around us. Up close we find the hidden cache. Step back and we see the whole. 36" x 30" x 1...
Category

2010s 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

Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Us, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This new animal work "Us" by artist Helena Monniello depicts a rhinoceros. It is made with blue and yellow colors. This painting represents us, that's why she named it "Us". We, that...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Expectations, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
Acrylic work on archival quality paper. Represents a young Japanese woman looking far out as if searching for something, Expecting something or someone. :: Painting :: Expressionism ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Original Painting on Panel Titled: "Let em Live”
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Born in Tallahasee Fl, William started his artistic career as a color consultant for his family's Design and Painting company that took on constant projects of custom painted interio...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Water Lilies( 80x120cm morning in the lake), Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Along with the lotus, the water lily is considered the most beautiful flower in the aquatic world. Water lilies have many shapes, many colors, and a pure fragrance that flies far awa...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Mayhill Landscape
Located in Deddington, GB
May Hill Landscape is an Original Painting by Eleanor Woolley. May Hill Landscape is a bright colourful depiction of the view only yards from the artists home. It shows the lovely ou...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Palette of Persia 3
Located in West Hollywood, CA
ABOUT THE PAINTING The intimate depiction of this northern village of Iran is a visual magic. Nature takes center stage in this artwork, with lush greenery and abundant vegetation su...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mystic Twilight
Located in West Hollywood, CA
The artist’s masterful use of light and shadow further accentuates the beauty and allure of the roses, casting subtle nuances of color and creating a play of textures. In this evocat...
Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Morning Glory Gown" - Vertical expressionist female semi-nude with gown.
Located in Miami, FL
Romantic and expressionist nude artwork on canvas.
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Woman III, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
My work is about dealing with the real world and above all using the images that surround us in everyday life. I often search for the unexpected. An ironic turn to images or things y...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Owl Canyon Rocks, Painting, Oil on Wood Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
This dynamic little painting was done on site- my friend and I loved going out to explore the landscape of Northern Colorado. The spontenaity of needin...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Take the Cannoli food still life Italian pastry delicious tasty sweet treats
Located in Brooklyn, NY
oil paint on wood with a rough stippled texture. the artist sometimes primes his painting surfaces with a sand like material for a coarse texture. this part of his continuing series ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

A quarrel on a flower, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A joyful manifestation of life and movement depicts the winging of a couple of hummingbirds around a flower in a world where light melts into form in a perpetual movement. :: Paintin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

The Commandment 1
Located in West Hollywood, CA
The sculptural artwork is a portrayal of a religious scene, featuring Moses holding the iconic Ten Commandments, infusing the piece with a sense of depth and symbolism. The rich tex...
Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Mixed Media

Summer light, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The view is reminiscent of Monet's garden in Giverny in late summer. Perspective leads the viewer into the depths of the landscape where light forms the focal point of the compositio...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Expressionist Pink Oil Paint Flower: Orquídea (Orchid)
Located in Segovia, ES
Expressionist interior corner that has an orchid as its protagonist. Predominant chromaticism between fuchsia-pink and yellow. Oil on linen by Spanish artist Chico Montilla. Beautifu...
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

A Song for Goya, colorful musical theme painting
Located in Brooklyn, NY
*ABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provoking fantasies. His whimsical works are...
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Gladiator - Large format expressionist, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The Gladiator is a large-format expressionist painting of a gladiator in vibrant ocher yellow. Gladiator was and still is one of my all-time best favourite movies. Even up to this t...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled
Located in San Francisco, CA
This expressive, figurative portrait is by Cliffton Peacock (1953- 2024). The painting measures 40 x 34 inches (42 x 36 inches framed.) It is composed of oil on canvas. The painting ...
Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

White Town, 8, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
White Ton, 8, oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm, stretched on a gallery frame, edges painted, technique brush and painting knife, 10 layers; On our way was the “Accademia di Belle Arti ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Song 115" Acrylic on Paper Expressionist Horse & Bango signed by Karen Hopeting
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Song 115" is an original acrylic painting on paper by Karen Hoepting. The artist wrote the title of the painting in the upper right ad signed the piece as well. The painting depicts...
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

The Dynamic Center, colorful, goddess with abstract elements, red, blue, yellow
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Watercolor, mixed media, using resists. This piece is very much about the energy of the body and breath. We are just rediscovering the power of the breath to increase energy and gen...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Woman portrait, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
I register it and then part of it automatically goes to work. I'm not trying to paint literally, but I'm trying to bring the emotions being exerted on me closer to the viewer. A fe...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Original Painting on Panel Titled: "More Distractions”
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Born in Tallahasee Fl, William started his artistic career as a color consultant for his family's Design and Painting company that took on constant projects of custom painted interio...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Midnight Lady B - Female Nude, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original semi-abstract figurative acrylics painting on deep edge stretched canvas, painted edges and ready to hang. Colourful and textured using blue, lime green and red colours and ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Original Painting on Panel Titled: "West Bound and Weird"
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Born in Tallahasee Fl, William started his artistic career as a color consultant for his family's Design and Painting company that took on constant projects of custom painted interio...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Via del Porcellana in Florence, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Via del Porcellana in Florence, oil on canvas, stretched on a gallery frame, edges painted; technique brush and painting knife, 4 layers; Impressed by the street Via del Porcellana...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

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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