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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1960s Expressionist Art
Bronze
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1890s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1910s Expressionist Art
Paper
1920s Expressionist Art
Woodcut
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil, Board
1920s Expressionist Art
Paper
1920s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1890s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
1980s Expressionist Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Fabric, Canvas, Acrylic
1980s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Expressionist Art
Paper, Lithograph
1960s Expressionist Art
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas, Cardboard, Giclée
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Satin Paper
1930s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
1920s Expressionist Art
Paper, Lithograph
1950s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1960s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Different architectural styles coexist with energetic colors in this expressionist depiction of a neighborhood. Bold brushstrokes suggest houses and trees, bl...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1950s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1910s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1910s Expressionist Art
Paper
1990s Expressionist Art
Bronze
1970s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Drypoint
1920s Expressionist Art
Paper, Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
1920s Expressionist Art
Lithograph, Offset
1980s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1920s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Paper, Acrylic
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper, Gouache
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard, Giclée
Artist Comments
Inspired by artist Robert Hofherr's personal photo, this piece simplifies detail to make a bold and striking composition. Solid, substantial shadows replace o...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Masonite, Oil
1960s Expressionist Art
Offset
1950s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Art
Woodcut
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1960s Expressionist Art
Paper, Felt Pen
Artist Comments
A layer of snow wraps a serene forest. Painted with a limited color palette of Payne's Grey and Phthalo Green, accented with Titanium White, the scene exudes ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
1920s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
1960s Expressionist Art
Paper, Lithograph
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Trees shine like incandescent light bulbs under the warm afternoon sun. A kaleidoscope of pink, green, and yellow leaves spread across the scene. Overlapping ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil