Expressionist Art
EXPRESSIONIST STYLE
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.
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Style: Expressionist
Artist: GEN PAUL
Horse & Rider - Expressionist Portrait Oil Painting by Gen Paul
By Gen Paul
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed expressionist oil on board portrait circa 1950 by French painter and engraver Gen Paul. This charming work depicts a jockey wearing red jacket and breeches seated on a white horse. This work is likely a painting of the fictional character Don Quixote from the novel by Miguel De Cervantes. Paul painted this subject on numerous occasions.
Signature:
Signed lower right
Dimensiosn:
Framed: 26.5"x21.5"
Unframed: 16"x11"
Provenance:
Private French collection of the work of Gen Paul
Gen-Paul was born in the Rue Lepic, at the heart of Montmartre. His mother was an embroiderer, and his father was a café musician. Gen-Paul began painting from a young age. An apprentice interior decorative artist, he looked about him in the wealthy apartments where his work took him and observed the pieces collected by art lovers, and he learned anatomy by getting to know surgeons and going with them into operating theatres. He also attended the École des Beaux-Arts. He painted on discarded cigar boxes using coloured supplements from L'Illustration as models. This was in 1913. At the outbreak of World War I he volunteered for service and was wounded; a year later a second wound led to the amputation of his right leg. Back in Paris in 1916, he began to paint. His first oil painting, the Moulin de la Galette seen from his window, dates from 1916. His early works are not easy to identify, as he painted many views of Paris to satisfy customers who wanted a painting 'in the style of so-and-so'. In 1918 he first signed a canvas Gen-Paul. In 1920 he showed work at the Salon d'Automne, remaining faithful to this institution and to the Salon des Indépendants. His first solo show took place in the Galerie Bing in 1926. He illustrated several of Céline's books, including Journey to the End of Night, Death on Tick ( Voyage au bout de la nuit, Mort à crédit) in 1942. He also produced engravings, some of which were published as a collection entitled Views of Montmartre ( Les vues de Montmartre). When World War II ended he travelled frequently to the USA and New York. In 1952 the Galerie Drouant-David in Paris put on a retrospective dedicated to him. Gen-Paul did not exhibit much, had no dealer, and travelled frequently in France and Spain. Posthumous collective exhibitions include: Galerie Roussard...
Category
1950s Expressionist Art
Materials
Board, Oil
French Expressionism "A Vase of Flowers" Gen Paul (French, 1895-1975)
By Gen Paul
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"A Vase of Flowers"
Eugene Paul aka Gen Paul (French, 1895-1975)
Oil crayon on paper
20 1/2 x 14 (28 x 21 1/2 frame) inches
"Gen Paul is undoubtedly the greatest representative, and perhaps the only, expressionist of the French tradition". - Gazette Drouot, 1995
Eugene Paul, known as Gen Paul, was born in 1895 and raised in the bohemian atmosphere of Montmartre in Paris. In his life he came to know a great many of the artists, from the anonymous to the world famous, who established themselves in the neighborhood. A self-taught artist, Gen Paul began expressing himself in drawings and paintings as a child; his earliest works show a remarkable talent. He was apprenticed to a wallpaper hanger until his life was interrupted by war. He was wounded twice in World War One, and the second time he lost one of his legs. During his recovery, he turned to painting, which became his passion and his livelihood for almost 60 years.
In Paris, Gen Paul exhibited at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Indépendants beginning in 1920. In 1928 he exhibited fifty paintings...
Category
1960s Expressionist Art
Materials
Paper, Oil Crayon
La Contrebasse - Expressionist Musician Portrait Oil by Gen Paul
By Gen Paul
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed expressionist oil on canvas portrait by French painter and engraver Gen Paul. This charming work depicts a seated musician wearing a green suit with a black bow tie playing the double bass. This beautiful example of Gen Paul's work dates to the 1950's when he painted numerous studies of musicians playing various instruments in jazz such as the saxophone, violin and the double bass. His interest in this was likely based upon his father's career as a cafe musician.
Signature:
Signed upper right
Dimensiosn:
Framed: 30"x21"
Unframed: 22"x13"
Provenance:
Private French collection
Gen-Paul was born in the Rue Lepic, at the heart of Montmartre. His mother was an embroiderer, and his father was a café musician. Gen-Paul began painting from a young age. An apprentice interior decorative artist, he looked about him in the wealthy apartments where his work took him and observed the pieces collected by art lovers, and he learned anatomy by getting to know surgeons and going with them into operating theatres. He also attended the École des Beaux-Arts. He painted on discarded cigar boxes using...
Category
1950s Expressionist Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Expressionist Notre Dame of Paris with the Seine River and Tugboat
By Gen Paul
Located in New York, NY
Gen Paul (1895-1975), an important French Expressionist painter, worked and Lived in Montmartre. Painting Depicts a mixed media gouache view of No...
Category
1940s Expressionist Art
Materials
Mixed Media
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Previously Available Items
En Route pour Paris - Expressionist Oil, Train in Cityscape by Gen Paul
By Gen Paul
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Signed expressionist cityscape oil on canvas by French painter and engraver Gen Paul. The work depicts a view of a train at Le Vesinet - Le Pecq railway station in France. Pedestrians and cyclists can be seen beside the train. A certificate of authenticity from the Comite Gen Paul is available upon request.
This work was from the collection of Jean Negulesco a Romanian-American film director and screenwriter who purchased the work from Galerie Drouant-David - Paris (1952).
Signature:
Signed lower left
Dimensiosn:
Framed: 40"x34"
Unframed: 32"x26"
Provenance:
Galerie Drouant-David - Paris (1952)
Collection of Jean Negulesco - Romanian-American film director and screenwriter
Gen-Paul was born in the Rue Lepic, at the heart of Montmartre. His mother was an embroiderer, and his father was a café musician. Gen-Paul began painting from a young age. An apprentice interior decorative artist, he looked about him in the wealthy apartments where his work took him and observed the pieces collected by art lovers, and he learned anatomy by getting to know surgeons and going with them into operating theatres. He also attended the École des Beaux-Arts. He painted on discarded cigar boxes using...
Category
1920s Expressionist Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
La Place Neuve - Geneva - Expressionist Cityscape Landscape Oil by Gen Paul
By Gen Paul
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed and dated expressionist oil on canvas by French painter and engraver Gen Paul. The work depicts a view of Place de Neuve in the city centre of Geneva, Switzerland. The statue of a man on horseback is that of General Guillaume-Henri Defour in the north-east side of the square.
Signature:
Signed lower right and signed & dated 1957 verso
Dimensiosn:
Framed: 24"x20"
Unframed: 16"x12"
Provenance:
Galerie Ferrero - Geneve (original labels verso)
Gen-Paul was born in the Rue Lepic, at the heart of Montmartre. His mother was an embroiderer, and his father was a café musician. Gen-Paul began painting from a young age. An apprentice interior decorative artist, he looked about him in the wealthy apartments where his work took him and observed the pieces collected by art lovers, and he learned anatomy by getting to know surgeons and going with them into operating theatres. He also attended the École des Beaux-Arts. He painted on discarded cigar boxes using...
Category
1950s Expressionist Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait de Madame Duclos
By Gen Paul
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Eugene Paul, known as Gen Paul, was born in 1895 and raised in the bohemian atmosphere of Montmartre. In his life he came to know a great many of the artists, from the anonymous to the world famous, who established themselves in the neighborhood. A self-taught artist, Gen Paul began expressing himself in drawings and paintings as a child, his earliest works show a remarkable talent. He was apprenticed to a wallpaper hanger. until his life was interrupted by war. He was wounded twice in World War One, the second time he lost one of his legs. During his recovery he turned to painting, which became his passion and his livelihood for almost 60 years.
Gen Paul exhibited at the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Indépendants beginning in 1920. In 1928 Gen Paul exhibited fifty paintings at Galerie Bing with Picasso, Rouault, and Soutine. He participated in collective exhibitions in London and Anvers. In 1937 he painted a large fresco for the Pavillon de Vins de France at l’Exposition Internationale de Paris. A restrospective was held at Galerie Drouant-David in 1952 and his works were shown several times at Galerie Ferrero in Geneva, Switzerland.
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Category
1920s Expressionist Art
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Expressionist art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, blue, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Iryna Kastsova, George Grosz, Stephen Basso, and Marc Chagall. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Expressionist art, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available.
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