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.
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Paper, Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
1980s Expressionist Art
Woodcut
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic, Canvas, Oil
1950s Expressionist Art
Oil
20th Century Expressionist Art
Woodcut
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
This is a piece of art from Scott Dykema's horse series. In the artwork, the horse is depicted as a unique and significant animal. The image is full of striking...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
With a bold palette and expressive brushstrokes, artist Robert Hofherr paints a teapot adorned with flowers on an iron chair. "The use of an abstract and colorf...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 19th Century Expressionist Art
Oil, Pigment
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Color Pencil
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
20th Century Expressionist Art
Woodcut
1960s Expressionist Art
Oil, Board
1970s Expressionist Art
Oil, Board
1920s Expressionist Art
Woodcut
1970s Expressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas, Fabric
2010s Expressionist Art
Acrylic, Permanent Marker
2010s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
1980s Expressionist Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic
1960s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
1970s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1950s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
2010s Expressionist Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Monotype
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
20th Century Expressionist Art
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Archival Pigment