Shana Wilson Female Nudes Paintings

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.

Today, antique and vintage nude paintings are popular works of art to consider when decorating your home.

The nude as an artist’s subject gained prominence in ancient Greece, wherein male nudes were rendered equivalent to power and victory owing to the Greeks’ celebration of men in athletic events as well as in the worship of the gods who populate Greek mythology. Nude sculptures in Greece positioned men as warriors — strong, moral and fearless. The naked female figures featured in prehistoric art and the art of ancient civilizations, on the other hand, were symbols of fertility and procreation.

Italian painters of the 1400s looked to the magnificent nude sculptures of Greek and Roman art for inspiration. By the end of the century, drawing of undressed models was part of the common practice for these artists. When Christianity had spread through Europe, however, Christians condemned Renaissance nude paintings — most of which are considered famous nude paintings today — because they were erotic, exploring, in some cases, same-sex relationships as well as women’s sexual power. Censorship was the order of the day, except for religious-themed works, such as 1526’s iconic Adam and Eve, an oil painting made by German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder, one of more than 50 works made in his workshop based on the biblical story. Tuscan painter Daniele da Volterra was famously hired to paint fig leaves over the most exposed figures of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. While freedom of expression for artists has expanded significantly since then, prudish censorship persists when it comes to Renaissance nudity.

On 1stDibs, find a wide variety of authentic antique and vintage nude paintings, from works focused on the reliably reclining figures of Impressionist-style art to oil paintings created by contemporary artists who often work to reject the idealized human forms and unrealistic depictions of female nudes that preceded them. Additionally, find a primer on 1stDibs on how to arrange wall art as well as tips on creating salon-style gallery walls for presenting the wonderfully provocative nude paintings you’ve decided to bring into your home.