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.
$575Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary abstract expressionist vivid acrylic portrait on paper "True self"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary expressionist, figurative abstract portrait was created by French artist Natalya Mougenot as part of her ongoing series devoted to the human face—not just as a like...
Paper, Acrylic
Peacock displaying in Magenta and Yellow Birds
By Robert Funk
Located in Miami, FL
The reality is that this is an eye-witness account of a male peacock displaying for the attention of a female peahen. It turns out that humans are equally...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$4,750
"No Title" Still Searching For The Title Two, Giclee Print, Color Photography
By Hatice Besun
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Still Searching For The Title / No Title 2 / Photograph Creator: Hatice Besun Creation year: 2022 Dimension: 19 x 13 External Dimension( with white border) Height:19.8 inch Width:13...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
$5,000
Skid Row Bowery Street Portrait - The Streets of New York - Photojournalism
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mitchell Funk breaks with tradition and shoots street photography in color. Today in 2022, this does not seem like a big deal. But 52 years ago, in 1970, it was q...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$2,992
H 21.26 in W 13.78 in D 0.08 in
Audrey- Signed limited edition fine art print, Sensual, Contemporary
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Audrey - 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 , Acid-free and...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Archival Pigment, Pigment, Phot...
Sold|$1,580
H 40 in W 82.6 in
Coral Forest, Large Triptych, Gem-like Patterns, Illustration Style, Coastal
Located in Barcelona, ES
This original painting by Romina Milano presents a coral-like landscape composed of clustered, gem-like forms that unfold as a vibrant constellation. Balancing abstraction and marine...
Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Acrylic
$2,250
H 24 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
“Inner Space” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Inner Space” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA signed by the artist Not framed. Ships in tube. From "Unbearable Lightness...
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 24 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
“Foreign Bodies” Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Foreign Bodies” Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA sig...
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
$1,580
H 40 in W 82.6 in
Three Corals Together, Modern Marine Triptych, Colorful Illustration Style
Located in Barcelona, ES
In this vibrant triptych, Romina Milano explores the delicate vitality of fragile ecosystems through coral-like formations that pulse with chromatic intensity. Each panel exists as a...
Acrylic, Watercolor, Handmade Paper
$3,949
H 41.74 in W 32.29 in D 0.08 in
Leopard #4 - Signed limited edition contemporary print, Black animal, Portrait
By Tim Platt
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
" Leopard #4 ” - Signed limited edition archival pigment print - Edition of 10 A series of studio portraits of a panther, or black leopard. Panthers are more commonly known thes...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Giclée, Pigment, Archival Pig...
$3,957
H 31.3 in W 41.74 in D 0.08 in
Leopard #2 - Animal signed limited edition contemporary fine art print, black
By Tim Platt
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Leopard #2 - Signed limited edition archival pigment print - Edition of 10 A series of studio portraits of a panther, or black leopard. Panthers are more commonly known these d...
Archival Paper, Color, Giclée, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Photographic P...
$645
H 15.1 in W 12.7 in D 0.5 in
Antique 1920s Danish Realist Oil Painting Fish Market Scene Copenhagen Signed
Located in Stockholm, SE
This antique oil on canvas from the 1920s, attributed to the Danish artist Søren Christian Bjulf (1890 - 1958), captures a spirited fish market at Gammel Strand, Copenhagen. The scen...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
$1,575Sale Price|35% Off
H 14.18 in W 16.93 in D 3.15 in
Polish Woman - Impressionist Mid 20th Century Oil Painting by Helena Krajewska
By Helena Malarewicz-Krajewska
Located in Watford, Hertfordshire
Helena Malarewicz-Krajewska (born 14 July 1910 in Biecz , died May 7, 1998 in Warsaw) is a Polish painter, active advocate of socialist realism. Studied between 1928 and 1929 at the...
Oil, Board
$828
H 33.12 in W 23.39 in D 0.04 in
Exploring Every Path 4 Magdalena Morey, Original Contemporary Impressionist Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Magdalena Morey Exploring Every Path 4 Original Cubist Inspired Landscape Painting Mixed Media on Canvas Canvas Size: H 30cm x W 30cm x D 3.5cm Sold Unframed (Please note that in sit...
Paper, Pastel, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor
The Annunciation
By Jackie Felix
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original acrylic on paper by American female artist Jackie Felix from the artist Blue Mary period. This work is currently featured in the exhibition at Benjaman Gallery "Over the...
Acrylic, Paper
$3,949
H 31.11 in W 41.74 in D 0.08 in
Capuchin 3 , Signed limited edition fine art print by Tim Platt, Large scale
By Tim Platt
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Capuchin 3 - Signed limited edition archival pigment print - Edition of 10 A series of three portrait images of a Capuchin monkey in a stylised painterly style. This portraits are inspired by my fascination with animal intelligence. The Capuchin monkey is instantly recognised due to its distinctive two tone colouring which of course also led to the Italian word Cappuccino. The word itself originally derives from the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, an offshoot from the Franciscans, who wear brown robes with large hoods. Considered the most intelligent monkeys, the Capuchin has learnt to use stones...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Giclée, Pigment, Archival Pig...