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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21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Art
Color, Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Color Pencil
1980s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Fabric, Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Whimsical flowers fill a vase with blue and white stripes while a juicy fruit rests on the table. Funky shapes and patterns adorn the composition. The scene e...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1920s Expressionist Art
Charcoal
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
Storm clouds hang over the stunning high peaks of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. The rugged rocks rise against the sky while a green valley stretches bel...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Wood, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Art
Paper, Pencil, Color Pencil
1920s Expressionist Art
Aquatint
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1890s Expressionist Art
Lithograph
2010s Expressionist Art
Oil, Pencil, Ink, Board
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Expressionist Art
Oil, Canvas, Cardboard
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Art
Oil, Masonite
1980s Expressionist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A vibrant night sky stretches over the city. Ethereal blues mirror the celestial depths, while fiery oranges echo the birth of the stars. Geometric shapes and...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Acrylic
1920s Expressionist Art
Aquatint
2010s Expressionist Art
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
Whispy grasses sway in the foreground, leading the viewer's eye to a calm ocean horizon. Soft pastel hues with earthy tones paint...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
1930s Expressionist Art
Woodcut
1990s Expressionist Art
Watercolor
2010s Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art
Oil
1940s Expressionist Art
Woodcut
1950s Expressionist Art
Lithograph