Expressionist Art
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.
2010s Expressionist Art
Gesso, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Paper, Color
1920s Expressionist Art
Woodcut
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1920s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1960s Expressionist Art
Paper, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Paper, Ink, Tempera, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
2010s Expressionist Art
Gesso, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
1960s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
1940s Expressionist Art
Oil, Board
1960s Expressionist Art
Oil, Board
1980s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1950s Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Wax Crayon
1980s Expressionist Art
Offset
1980s Expressionist Art
Offset
1980s Expressionist Art
Offset
1980s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Paper, Color, Digital
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Wood, Oil
1950s Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Expressionist Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic, Board
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Amanda Dagg presents a stunning pink blossom tree that epitomizes the essence of nature at its best. She depicts the tree in full bloom, with delicate bl...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Robert Hofherr presents a view of workboats reinterpreted with expressionist color and minimal detail. Blocks of color combine with the selective use of ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Robert Hofherr exhibits an expressionist view of the memorable Exeter Street in England. The simplified cityscape creates visual energy with doses of bol...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A harbor with sailboats receives the expressionist treatment with bold color and expressive paint handling in artist Robert Hofherr's work. The strong diagonal ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Diana Elena Chelaru presents an expressionist portrait of a lady with her two cats. She communicates her love for them through gentle caresses as they sl...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Sharon Sieben shares an expressionist rendering of cacti. The last rays of sun glimmer across the Sonoran Desert. Majestic dust covers the Saguaro's arms...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Expressionist Art
Handmade Paper, Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Acrylic, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Pencil, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
16th Century Expressionist Art
Handmade Paper
1950s Expressionist Art
Watercolor
1950s Expressionist Art
Gouache, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil, Paper, Tempera, Watercolor
2010s Expressionist Art
Ink, Handmade Paper
1910s Expressionist Art
Bronze
1960s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
20th Century Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Expressionist Art
Oil Pastel, Watercolor
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Expressionist Art
Oil Pastel, Board, Rag Paper
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Oil Pastel, Found Objects
20th Century Expressionist Art
Watercolor, Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Paper, Tempera, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Paper, Tempera, Watercolor