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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1910s Expressionist Art
Paint
1920s Expressionist Art
Paper
1920s Expressionist Art
Paper, Lithograph
Early 19th Century Expressionist Art
Oil
1990s Expressionist Art
Paper, Acrylic
1960s Expressionist Art
Rice Paper, Stencil
1970s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
1950s Expressionist Art
Oil, Cardboard
1950s Expressionist Art
Ink, Watercolor
1950s Expressionist Art
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1960s Expressionist Art
Paper, Lithograph
Artist Comments
"Inspired by Paul Klee, I reimagined a quiet October evening with heavily textured colors and an emphasis on simplified linear elements," says artist Robert H...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Fabric, Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Sunlight filters through the fence and trees, giving the scene a warm and inviting glow. Yellows, blues, and greens evoke a sense of relaxation and tranquilit...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
1960s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
1960s Expressionist Art
Woodcut
2010s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1910s Expressionist Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A row of slender trees lines a road in Provence, France. As artist Janet Dyer drove by, she was captivated by the configuration of the trunks against the pale...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1930s Expressionist Art
Paper
2010s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 1900s Expressionist Art
Paper
2010s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil
1940s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
A lone tree stands in the middle of a vast meadow, with a single cloud hovering over it. Its leaves, painted in shades of yellow and red, subtly hint at the c...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
20th Century Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil