Expressionist 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.
1990s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Cardboard, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings
Masonite, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
20th Century Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Board
Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
Artist Comments
Artist Kip Decker displays a flourishing landscape with an expressionist approach. Colorful wildflowers abundantly grow by the ridge of a hill. He paints the ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1940s Expressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Boats drift on a vast northeastern body of water in New England. The sun casts a warm glow across the scene. Simple style and expressionist brushwork reduce det...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Acrylic
1980s Expressionist Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard, Giclée
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Canvas
1920s Expressionist Paintings
Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
At night, a village comes alive with a moody color palette and a delightfully whimsical arrangement of houses. The composition emphasizes intriguing color and...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Late 20th Century Expressionist Paintings
Oil
Early 1900s Expressionist Paintings
Gouache, Paper
1960s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
An ordinary street scene transforms with childlike and stylized elements. The repetitive shapes, especially the triangles, provide uniformity to the composition...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Satin Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Stone
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Linen, Oil, Panel
1960s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings
Panel, Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1940s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1950s Expressionist Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Oil, Gouache
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Stretcher Bars, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1920s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Cardboard, Oil
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings
Oil
1980s Expressionist Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
1990s Expressionist Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
2010s Expressionist Paintings
Canvas, Oil