Art
2010s Contemporary Art
Paint, Paper, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Other Medium
Artist Comments
Dawn's first rays bathe the Los Angeles skyline, casting a burnished glow over the iconic palm trees. Billowing clouds add a touch of softness to the scene. T...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Soft light illuminates a foggy bay as the sun rises over California's central coast. Gentle ripples in the water reflect the pastel sky, while anchored boats ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A bright blue sky stretches over a scalloped coastline. Safe in the rookery below the cliffs, elephant seals bask in the sun, their voices blending with the c...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Palm trees stretch upwards, their tall, slender trunks reaching upwards. Overhead, a yellow pedestrian crossing sign with a curved arrow injects a hint of urb...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A lone red-tailed hawk floats between lofty palm trees and the moon. Wispy clouds drift across the sky, basking in the light from the setting sun. As the nigh...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A view from a ferry ride offers a glimpse of a distant mountain clad in snow, its peak hidden behind thick layers of clouds. The still water and gray sky sugg...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A large flock of crows whirls above the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and the Pacific Coast Highway. The orange sun creates a warm backdrop for their silho...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting captures the tranquility of a Los Angeles neighborhood on a cold, quiet evening. Locals retreat to their homes as the sun sets, happily savoring...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jesse Aldana presents an expansive view of Los Angeles, showing the famous Hollywood sign in the distance. The piece captures a dramatic passage from a...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jesse Aldana presents a skyscape from a ground-level angle in realistic detail. White clouds, flattened in their haste, race across the sky. It leaves ...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jesse Aldana presents a peaceful grassland with a well-trodden path leading inward. Inspired by two early morning spring hikes—the background comes f...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jesse Aldana displays a picturesque view of a hiking path. He paints a verdant landscape of the track along the tall mountains. Golden light flushes the sky over a springtime creek with clustered willows and reeds. Jesse conveys the feeling of hearing birdsongs and the low thrum of bullfrogs accompanying the trickle of the mountain spring...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"As foggy headlands shift shape on the horizon, redwoods materialize out of a palette of grays and blues in this painting of California's Big Sur," says artis...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jesse Aldana paints a dramatic shoreline view of the Santa Monica Bay. A surfer lines up a final ride as evening deepens under heavy blanket clouds. In...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"A rich veil of coastal air hangs over a broad grassy path in this composition," says artist Jesse Aldana. "The golden haze tinges the afternoon with a brilli...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"This year, late winter brought several cold storm fronts blowing stiffly across the bay," says artist Jesse Aldana. "With them came batteries of color and sh...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A pair in a kayak glides through the ocean under a clear blue sky in this realistic piece by artist Jesse Aldana. Calmer waters in the open sea promise a great day under the warm sun as the light glistens on the crashing waves near the shore. A gentle haze glows where mountains peek through the mist. "The bright horizon hints at a future of limitless possibilities."
About the Artist
California artist Jesse Aldana uses the ritual of sunrise and sunset to capture the spirit of the west. Using a hybrid of realist brushwork and an almost surreal absence of humans, Jesse documents residential neighborhoods, main thoroughfares and coastal scenes across the great city of Los Angeles. Reminiscent of Ed Ruscha, Jesse’s work acts as both a record of the current landscape as well as a metaphor for the openness and sense of opportunity that continually draw settlers to the west coast. Jesse says of California, “the sky is an overwhelming presence.†He frames his big sky compositions with narrow palm trees and low-slung buildings at the periphery of the canvas to illustrate the scale of the scene. In doing so, the viewer can begin to appreciate the sentiment of the final frontier. Jesse works from a home studio in Los Angeles using photographs that he takes of the surrounding area as source material. He holds a BA from Brown University and an MFA from The New York Academy of Art. He regularly exhibits at the Beverly Hills Art Show.
Words that describe this painting: kayak, ocean, wave, nature, sports, realism, water, seascape, sea, horizon, boating, oilpaint, seascape, realism, oil painting
Big Blue...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"The shadow of evening flows over a sandy beach and pauses before scaling the cliffs to meet the moon over Santa Monica's waterfront," shares artist Jesse Ald...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"A late morning on a Malibu beach finds the tide nearly at its peak and the usually broad sands founder in a creamy froth," says artist Jesse Aldana. Sunlight...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"A thick layer of clouds begins to loosen its grip on the Malibu coast as the restless autumn sea besets a pier of stone," describes artist Jesse Aldana. Beam...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
Artist Comments
In this dramatic seascape, Jesse Aldana describes a stormy evening on the coast near Santa Barbara, CA. A cloudburst races acros...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Art
Oil
20th Century Modern Art
Archival Pigment
20th Century Modern Art
Archival Pigment
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1950s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1950s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1950s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1950s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
20th Century Modern Art
Archival Pigment
20th Century Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
20th Century Modern Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper
20th Century Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
20th Century Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Watercolor
Shop Art on 1stDibs: Photography, Drawings, Prints, Sculptures and Paintings for Sale
Whether growing your current fine art collection or taking the first steps on that journey, you will find an extensive range of original photography, drawings, prints, sculptures, paintings and more on 1stDibs.
Visual art is among the oldest forms of expression, and it has been evolving for centuries. Beautiful objects can provide a window to the past or insight into our current time. Art collecting enhances daily life through the presence of meaningful work. It displays an appreciation for culture, whether a print by Elizabeth Catlett channeling social change or a narrative quilt by Faith Ringgold.
Contemporary art has lured more initiates to collecting than almost any other category, with notable artists including Yayoi Kusama, Marc Chagall, Kehinde Wiley and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Navigating the waiting lists for the next Marlene Dumas, Jeff Koons or Jasper Johns has become competitive.
When you’re living with art, particularly as people more often work from home and enjoy their spaces, it’s important to choose art that resonates with you. While the richness of art with its many movements, styles and histories can be overwhelming, the key is to identify what is appealing and inspiring. Artwork can play with the surrounding color of a room, creating a layered approach. The dynamic shapes and sizes of sculptures can set different moods, such as a bronze by Miguel Guía on a mantel or an Alexander Calder mobile suspended over a table. A wall of art can evoke emotions in an interior while showing off your tastes and interests. A salon-style wall mixing eclectic pieces like landscape paintings with charcoal drawings is a unique way to transform a space and show off a collection.
For art meditating on the subconscious, investigate Surrealists like Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí. Explore Pop art and its leading artists such as Andy Warhol, Rosalyn Drexler and Keith Haring for bright and bold colors. Not only did these artists question art itself, but also how we perceive society. Similarly, 20th-century photography and abstract painting reconsidered the intent of art.
Abstract Expressionists like Helen Frankenthaler and Lee Krasner and Color Field artists including Sam Gilliam broke from conventional ideas of painting, while Op artists such as Yaacov Agam embraced visual trickery and kinetic movement. Novel visuals are also integral to contemporary work influenced by street art, such as sculptures and prints by KAWS.
Realist portraiture is a global tradition reflecting on what makes us human. This is reflected in the work of Slim Aarons, an American photographer whose images are at once candid and polished and appeared in Holiday magazine and elsewhere. Innovative artists Mickalene Thomas and Kerry James Marshall are now offering new perspectives on the form.
Collecting art is a rewarding, lifelong pursuit that can help connect you with the creative ways historic, modern and contemporary artists have engaged with the world. For more tips on piecing together an art collection, see our guide to buying and displaying art.
Find photography, drawings, paintings, prints and other art for sale on 1stDibs.