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.
Strength - NYC Architecture Photography, 36"x52", Signed Limited Edition of 5
By Viet Chu
Located in New York, NY
" I wanted to find a symbol of strength and resiliency for NYC and through the framing of the Empire State Building by the Manhattan Bridge, and I believe it is represented here. The...
Archival Pigment
"Model in black & white" Photography on canvas
Located in Carmel, CA
Malissa - "Model in black & white" Photography on canvas The photograph comes with a certificate of authenticity and a letter of appraisal.
Canvas, Photographic Film, Black and White
Gold Dust
Located in East Hampton, NY
Black & White Photography Gold Dust Printed to Order Unframed Also available in 20"x30" The area that would become Gold Point, one of Nevada’s best ghost towns, was first settled ...
Archival Pigment
Sound of the Sea
By Harold Davis
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary: Using an x-ray photograph as its basis, this expressive study in motion echoes work by Picasso and other modernists. Words that describe this piece: shell, Nauti...
Photographic Paper
$2,961
H 20.63 in W 13.78 in D 0.01 in
Sandrine - Signed limited edition nude photography, Contemporary black white
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Sandrine 2 - Signed limited edition archival pigment print - Edition of 5 Naked woman from behind at a window of an old flat in Brittany, France. Sensual view of her swaying hips ...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
$2,250
H 27.56 in W 34.26 in D 0.08 in
Saddle, Whip, Nude-Signed limited edition nude fine art print, Contemporary
By Peter Ridge
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Saddle, Whip, Nude- Signed limited edition archival pigment print, Edition of 5 This is an Archival Pigment print on fiber based paper ( Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm , Ac...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Archival Pigment
$275
H 10 in W 13 in
Young Lad ( haunting portrait of young boy on a crowded London street)
By Richard Sadler
Located in New Orleans, LA
Richard Sadler's "Young Boy" is a haunting portrait of a very serious young British lad amidst a crowd of other people. He is dressed very formally in hat, coat and tie. He clutche...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
$2,961
H 22.05 in W 13.78 in D 0.08 in
Figurative photo, Signed limited edition contemporary print, Black white-Raquel
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘ Raquel ‘. This photograph is minimali...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
$3,551
H 29.61 in W 19.69 in D 0.08 in
Sarah 2- Signed limited edition nude print, Black white, Model Contemporary
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Sarah 2 - Signed limited edition archival pigment print - Edition of 5 Photographed in Brighton, England in 1989 The legacy of Ian is deeply woven into the fabric of our gallery...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment, Photographic Film, Pi...
$4,265
H 29.53 in W 24.02 in D 0.01 in
Figurative photograph nude fine art print, Contemporary black white - Sandrine
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘ Sandrine ‘. Signed by Ian Sanderson ...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
$1,750
H 17 in W 14 in
My Education. Limited Signed Print, Michael St. Pierre with Bonkers '04 & Book
By Bruce Weber
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bruce Weber. My Education. Art Edition No. 101–200, ‘Michael St. Pierre with Bonkers, Thousand Oaks, California’, 2004 Edition of 100 Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Ultra Smoot...
Cotton, Archival Pigment
$3,554
H 21.54 in W 29.53 in D 0.08 in
Signed limited edition Figurative photo, Black white man, Homoerotic - Mathew 2
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘ Mathew 2 ‘ who was captured on film in...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Arc...
$2,961
H 19.69 in W 14.18 in D 0.08 in
Christian - Signed limited edition fine art print, Black white photo, Homoerotic
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Christian - Signed limited edition archival pigment print, 1984 - Edition of 5 This image was captured on film. The negative was scanned creating a digital file which was then pr...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Pigment, Archival Pi...
$4,146
H 40 in W 19.13 in D 0.02 in
Zip - Signed limited edition print, Black white photo, Sensual, Contemporary
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Zip - Signed limited edition archival pigment print , Edition of 10 This image was captured on film in 1982. From the same photoshoot, the so-called 'Stretch' print by Ian Sand...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Pigment, Archival Pi...
$3,554
H 33.08 in W 21.66 in D 0.08 in
Lisa- Signed limited edition print, Black white, Woman, Sensual, Contemporary
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Lisa - Edition of 5 signed + numbered by artist with certificate of authenticity, unframed Please note. There are three sizes of this archival pigment print; each is an edition of ...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment, Photographic Film, Gi...
$2,959
H 14.57 in W 19.69 in D 0.08 in
Ben-Signed limited edition fine art print, Black white photo, Analog, Homoerotic
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Ben - Signed limited edition archival pigment print, 1996 - Edition of 5 This image was captured on film. The negative was scanned creating a digital file which was then printed...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Black and White, Photographic Film, Pi...
Sold
H 32 in W 54 in
Bullish Night - NYC Photography, 32"x54", Signed Limited Edition of 4
By Viet Chu
Located in New York, NY
" As a part of my Empty Streets of New York City series, I wanted to include the Wall Street Bull which represents one of the core tenet of the financial might of the city during the...
Archival Pigment
Bombay Star Series #3
By James Mannix
Located in East Hampton, NY
Bombay Beach , California Photography Edition of 10 UNFRAMED: Print to Order About the Artist: Short Biography in a Nutshell: A fun journey My first foray into the art world was ...
Photographic Paper