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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: Mark Lavatelli
Invocation
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas (shaped diptych) measuring 71” X 78 1/4” by American contemporary artist Mark Lavatelli. Mark Lavatelli is a Western New York painter, educator, and free...
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Looking Up
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas painting on panel by American contemporary artist Mark Lavatelli from the artist's most recent series. This painting comes housed in an artist made natural...
Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Encaustic, Oil, Panel

Invocation
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas (shaped diptych) measuring 60 3/4″ X 156″ by American contemporary artist Mark Lavatelli. Mark Lavatelli is a Western New York painter, educator, and fre...
Category

1980s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Yellow Sycamore
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas painting on panel by American contemporary artist Mark Lavatelli.
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Haven
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas diptych by American contemporary artist Mark Lavatelli created in 1996. 72" X 122"
Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tree Glyph #14
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original Encaustic & collage over oil on panel by American contemporary artist Mark Lavatelli from the artist's Tree Glyph series created in 2006.
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Encaustic, Oil, Panel

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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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