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.
Tree Swallows, Painting, Watercolor on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
Original watercolor and ink painting on 140 lb Arches cold press paper with deckled edges :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticit...
Watercolor
Grackles No. 2, Painting, Watercolor on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
Original watercolor and ink painting on 140 lb Arches cold press paper with deckled edges :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticit...
Watercolor
Red-Tailed Hawks No. 2, Painting, Watercolor on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
Original watercolor and ink painting on 140 lb Arches cold press paper with deckled edges :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticit...
Watercolor
Herons in Flight No. 8, Painting, Watercolor on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original watercolor painting on canvas. Signed on front. Varnished and ready to hang, with a handcrafted maple solid wood floater frame. :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece co...
Watercolor
Hawks in Flight, Painting, Watercolor on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original watercolor painting on canvas. Signed on front. Varnished and ready to hang, with a handcrafted maple solid wood floater frame. :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece co...
Watercolor
AutumnWalk 01, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
"AutumnWalk 01" is a large original painting that captures the essence of a radiant autumn day spent wandering through the woods. The artist's skillful use of both oil and acrylic ...
Acrylic
Water lily inspiration, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Yardley, PA
In creating this painting, I was inspired by the tranquil beauty of water lilies. I aimed to capture their serene essence and the dynamic interplay of light on water. This piece blen...
Oil
Untitled # 1, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was supposed to be abstract, but then appears to depict a fish-like form in muted, earthy tones. I used various textures what finally give the impression of rough, weat...
Acrylic
Placebo of the masses, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Don Lisy
Located in Yardley, PA
Placebo of the masses Oil, Charcoal on Canvas H 30â€
Oil
Alleged potential fiction, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Don Lisy
Located in Yardley, PA
Alleged potential fiction Oil on Canvas H 60â€
Oil
U.N. O. (United Nations Building, New York)
Located in New York, NY
Drypoint, 1959. Signed by the artist in pencil, lower right, and numbered 65/200 in pencil, lower left. rinted by Lacourière and Frélaut, Pairs. Published by the artist, Paris. C...
Drypoint
Vanishing Point, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Deep blue tones envelop a blurred San Francisco cityscape, evoking a dreamlike memory of a fleeting moment. The triangular panel enhances the composition’s un...
Oil
Under the Blue Sky, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Two figures bask in the light of the cosmos, their curvaceous forms mirroring the flow of celestial bodies. The varying blue tones represent the sky before nigh...
Acrylic
Recoiling poet, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Title: "Recoiling poet" Artist: Derek Overfield Dante's Inferno follows the author as he is guided through hell. During the frightening journey, he is at times aghast at the suff...
Acrylic
UNTITLED x1489 - Original Oil painting portrait, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original Oil Paint on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas of 20 by 16 by 3/4 in. ::::: Title : UNTITLED x1489 :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certific...
Oil
Midsummer Wander, Original Painting
By Jinny Tomozy
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
On a lazy midsummer afternoon, a young bear wanders into a meadow nestled high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Abstract fields of color melt into the essence ...
Acrylic
Madonna with Child – 14-05-25, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Corne Akkers
Located in Yardley, PA
Twelve Years Ago This oil painting ‘Madonna with Child – 14-05-25’ is a bit of an oddball in my repertoire. A mixture of expressionism, realism and even surrealism. Long ago...
Oil
Dust on the Beach, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A gray sky looms over the distant ocean, while wisps of grass emerge from the foreground. The rugged sand contrasts with the gentle waves. Earthy browns and g...
Oil
Star over the City, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A vast, colorful sky stretches over an abstracted city. Artist Diana Elena Chelaru has intentionally minimized the buildings, letting the sky feel limitless. ...
Acrylic
Drops of Morning Light, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
As the sun rises, golden yellows and oranges radiate against the blue sky. Colorful dots spread across the scene, conveying the movement and warmth of sunligh...
Acrylic
Tree Row by Field, Original Painting
By Janet Dyer
Located in San Francisco, CA
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...
Acrylic
In love, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original oil painting full of dynamism, chromatic tones and passion. * Original hand-painted painting. * The artwork is signed on the front and includes a Certificate of Authenti...
Acrylic
Woman with a handbag, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
My paintings are very personal, they capture my everyday life, my reaction to things I experienced, either yesterday, in my childhood or even events I imagine. My portraits pick up o...
Pencil
Portrait 01, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
from a series of women's portraits; drawings on paper (Bristol) mixed technique (watercolor pencils, pencil and acrylic) in small formats; My portraits reflect my own desires. As an...
Pencil
Portrait 04, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
from a series of women's portraits; drawings on paper (Bristol) mixed technique (watercolor pencils, pencil and acrylic) in small formats; My portraits reflect my own desires. As an...
Pencil
Portrait 07, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
from a series of women's portraits; drawings on paper (Bristol) mixed technique (watercolor pencils, pencil and acrylic) in small formats; My portraits reflect my own desires. As an...
Acrylic
Portrait 08, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
from a series of women's portraits; drawings on paper (Bristol) mixed technique (watercolor pencils, pencil and acrylic) in small formats; My portraits reflect my own desires. As an...
Pencil
Surfs Up, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
With low tide, the sand stretches out towards the receding waterline, revealing a shallow pool of water reflecting the sky. A solitary cloud watches over the ...
Oil
Woman with crossed arms, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my pictures I try to combine the visual and the conceptual. For me, drawing is a medium of knowledge which, beyond direct expression, makes visible material and immaterial forces,...
Pencil
Nude with cigarette, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my pictures I try to combine the visual and the conceptual. For me, drawing is a medium of knowledge which, beyond direct expression, makes visible material and immaterial forces,...
Pencil
Portrait 10, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
from a series of women's portraits; drawings on paper (Bristol) mixed technique (watercolor pencils, pencil and acrylic) in small formats; My portraits reflect my own desires. As an ...
Pencil
untitled, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my pictures I try to combine the visual and the conceptual. For me, drawing is a medium of knowledge which, beyond direct expression, makes visible material and immaterial forces,...
Pencil
Portrait 09, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
from a series of women's portraits; drawings on paper (Bristol) mixed technique (watercolor pencils, pencil and acrylic) in small formats; My portraits reflect my own desires. As an ...
Pencil
Portrait11, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
from a series of women's portraits; My portraits reflect my own desires. As an artist, I have always been attracted by the challenge of capturing the essence of a subject as succinct...
Acrylic
untitled, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my pictures I try to combine the visual and the conceptual. For me, drawing is a medium of knowledge which, beyond direct expression, makes visible material and immaterial forces,...
Pencil
Woman with cat, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my pictures I try to combine the visual and the conceptual. For me, drawing is a medium of knowledge which, beyond direct expression, makes visible material and immaterial forces,...
Pencil
Portrait of a young woman, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
from a series of women's portraits; My portraits reflect my own desires. As an artist, I have always been attracted by the challenge of capturing the essence of a subject as succinct...
Acrylic
Woman with flower, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
My portraits reflect my own desires. As an artist, I have always been attracted by the challenge of capturing the essence of a subject as succinctly as possible. For a long time, I h...
Acrylic
Woman in a Red Chair, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
My portraits reflect my own desires. As an artist, I have always been attracted by the challenge of capturing the essence of a subject as succinctly as possible. For a long time, I h...
Acrylic
untitled, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
My portraits reflect my own desires. As an artist, I have always been attracted by the challenge of capturing the essence of a subject as succinctly as possible. For a long time, I h...
Acrylic
untitled, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
My portraits reflect my own desires. As an artist, I have always been attracted by the challenge of capturing the essence of a subject as succinctly as possible. For a long time, I h...
Acrylic
untitled, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my pictures I try to create an intensity that enables a dialogue between artist and subject. In this way I create a tangible understanding and embody intangible but recognizable e...
Acrylic
Under the Stars, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The artwork depicts an expressionist city landscape at night, emphasizing emotions and subjective experience over realism. A woman's figure lies among the sta...
Acrylic
Woman with cat, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
The relationship between women and cats plays an important role in my artwork. I often show women and cats living in a harmonious and intimate relationship with each other. The cats ...
Pencil
Sitting woman with red face, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my paintings, I strive to create an intensity that enables a dialogue between artist and subject. In this way, I create a tangible understanding and embody intangible yet recogniz...
Acrylic
At the beach, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my paintings, I strive to create an intensity that enables a dialogue between artist and subject. In this way, I create a tangible understanding and embody intangible yet recogniz...
Acrylic
Woman with gloves, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my paintings, I strive to combine the visual and the conceptual. For me, drawing is a medium of cognition that, beyond direct expression, makes visible material and immaterial for...
Pencil
Woman in yellow room, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my paintings, I strive to create an intensity that enables a dialogue between artist and subject. In this way, I create a tangible understanding and embody intangible yet recogniz...
Acrylic
Sitting on yellow chair, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
My artwork is my emotions. My work is about dealing with the real world and above all using the images that surround us in everyday life. I often search for the unexpected. An ironic...
Acrylic
Bathing Beauty, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my paintings, I strive for an intensity that allows for a dialogue between artist and subject. In this way, I create a tangible understanding and embody intangible yet recognizabl...
Acrylic
Woman in a red swimsuit, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my paintings, I strive for an intensity that allows for a dialogue between artist and subject. In this way, I create a tangible understanding and embody intangible yet recognizabl...
Acrylic
What Is There?, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Acrylic work on unmounted canvas. Belongs to a series that is done every summer, on summer. My son was looking out the window , I thought the light of that July afternoon was falli...
Acrylic
Carefree Day, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A cluster of trees stands in the middle of a vast field, their canopies merging to create a unified presence. Against the coolness of the blue sky, the orange...
Oil
Rays of Light, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
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...
Acrylic
Besame, Hand Printed Work, Screen
Located in Yardley, PA
Silkscreen work on archival quality paper. A couple making love. :: Hand Printed Work :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the ...
Screen
Moonlight, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The artwork portrays an abstract depiction of the moon emerging in the sky. It invites exploration of artistic interpretations of a cosmic landscape. Captivat...
Acrylic
Autumn Breeze, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A group of trees stands close together, their autumn-tinted canopies blending into one. Their hazy surroundings mirror the softness of the cloud above. In the...
Oil
Contentious Conversation, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
With sunlight streaming in from the left, the trees engage in a playful banter about who gets the spotlight. Overlooking a small pond alongside the shrubs, th...
Acrylic
Autumn Day, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A vibrant autumn scene unfolds as towering trees with golden leaves stretch toward the azure sky. The quiet neighborhood below hosts quaint houses nestling am...
Acrylic
Wintergreen, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
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 ...
Oil