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.
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Early 20th Century Expressionist Art
Woodcut
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Oil
1980s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1910s Expressionist Art
Drypoint
1910s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1970s Expressionist Art
Pastel
Early 20th Century Expressionist Art
Etching
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Woodcut
1920s Expressionist Art
Etching
1920s Expressionist Art
Paper
1970s Expressionist Art
Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil, Handmade Paper
1890s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
1980s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1890s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Oil
1930s Expressionist Art
Watercolor, Archival Paper
1980s Expressionist Art
Ink, Color, Paper
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Handmade Paper, Ink
1950s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Drypoint
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Fiberboard
1980s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper, Ink
Early 20th Century Expressionist Art
Etching
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Art
Watercolor
1980s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1890s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Photographic Film, Magazine Paper
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Photographic Film, Magazine Paper
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Photographic Film, Magazine Paper
1890s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1960s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1970s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1990s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Masonite, Oil
Early 20th Century Expressionist Art
Etching
1960s Expressionist Art
Ink, Paper, Oil Pastel
1980s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Oil
1980s Expressionist Art
Etching
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
1970s Expressionist Art
Oil