In general, Eastern Europe is understood to be the European part of Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. The Eastern European countries are culturally and historically largely shaped by the Orthodox Church. Ethnically, linguistically and culturally, however, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are also counted as part of Eastern Europe.

In Russia, artists created icons exclusively in egg tempera technique for almost 800 years. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that they began to copy those skills that European painters had possessed since the Renaissance. The connection of Russian painting with the art of Spain, Italy and Germany is expressively demonstrated by the works of Pavel Fedotov, Alexander Ivanov and Ivan Aivazovsky. These founded an artists' association that rebelled against the dictated painting style of the imperial, Petersburg Academy of Art.

Due to political conditions, developments in painting in Eastern Europe have progressed more slowly than in the West during the last decades. Due to a lack of information and possibilities of implementation, most artists have not been able to follow the new trends, but have rather maintained and perfected their previous painting and expressive techniques. The works created can thus be attributed to the personal development of the painters and not to fashion trends. Above all, the formerly close ties of many Romanian painters with the Impressionists can still be seen in many of their works. Contemporary painters such as Theodore Vescu or Dan Bajenaru should be mentioned, among others.