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Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

ABSTRACT STYLE

Beginning in the early 20th century, abstract art became a leading style of modernism. Rather than portray the world in a way that represented reality, as had been the dominating style of Western art in the previous centuries, abstract paintings, prints and sculptures are marked by a shift to geometric forms, gestural shapes and experimentation with color to express ideas, subject matter and scenes.

Although abstract art flourished in the early 1900s, propelled by movements like Fauvism and Cubism, it was rooted in the 19th century. In the 1840s, J.M.W. Turner emphasized light and motion for atmospheric paintings in which concrete details were blurred, and Paul Cézanne challenged traditional expectations of perspective in the 1890s.

Some of the earliest abstract artists — Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint — expanded on these breakthroughs while using vivid colors and forms to channel spiritual concepts. Painter Piet Mondrian, a Dutch pioneer of the art movement, explored geometric abstraction partly owing to his belief in Theosophy, which is grounded in a search for higher spiritual truths and embraces philosophers of the Renaissance period and medieval mystics. Black Square, a daringly simple 1913 work by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, was a watershed statement on creating art that was free “from the dead weight of the real world,” as he later wrote.

Surrealism in the 1920s, led by artists such as Salvador Dalí, Meret Oppenheim and others, saw painters creating abstract pieces in order to connect to the subconscious. When Abstract Expressionism emerged in New York during the mid-20th century, it similarly centered on the process of creation, in which Helen Frankenthaler’s expressive “soak-stain” technique, Jackson Pollock’s drips of paint, and Mark Rothko’s planes of color were a radical new type of abstraction.

Conceptual art, Pop art, Hard-Edge painting and many other movements offered fresh approaches to abstraction that continued into the 21st century, with major contemporary artists now exploring it, including Anish Kapoor, Mark Bradford, El Anatsui and Julie Mehretu.

Find original abstract paintings, sculptures, prints and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Abstract
Neighborhood Morning, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"During an early fall morning on one of my daily strolls, I was coming round a bend and saw this sight - bright morning sunlight ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Preparations, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"Preparations on a boat to go out fishing can be long, lonely, and time-consuming," says artist James Nyika. "This fisherman is preparing his boat for an even...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Moiré Indigo (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Moiré Indigo (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper and Netting - Framed. Image's dimensions: 32 x 29 cm/12.5 x 11.4". The Moiré project is an exercise in optical and formal aesthet...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Poplars in Winter, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Using a wide variety of brushwork, artist Jill Poyerd set out to capture the beautiful, graceful lines of a set of aging poplar trees along a winter road. "Us...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Untitled 9 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Acrylic and oil on paper - Unframed Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony by exploring the enigmatic unity that can exist between seemi...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

Wave (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Wave (Abstract drawing) Watercolour on Arches paper - Unframed Uchiyama works with watercolor on Arches paper. She often develops as many as eight compositions at one time, moving...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

0218-10 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
0218-10 (Abstract Painting) Pigmented wax and ink on Shikoku paper. Unframed. Working on paper has always been an important part of Tracey Adams daily practice. For almost thirty ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Wax, Pigment

1980s "Rust and Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen "Rust and Black" 1980s 18.5"x 13" Soft pastel and pencil on paper Initialed in pencil lower right
Category

1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Pencil

1980 s "Mint, Orange, Yellow, Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen Mint, Orange, Yellow, Black 1980s 11.75"x10.5" Soft pastel and pencil on paper Signed in pencil lower right
Category

1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Pencil

FLD 26/2808 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
FLD 26/2808 (Abstract painting) Graphite on Arches Ingres paper - Unframed. Image's size: 55 x 55 cm/21.6 x 21.6" The simplest reading of Henderson’s work is that he is a painter ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Graphite

Black Forest- Abstract contemporary painting on canvas, modern red and black
Located in Dallas, TX
Emma Godebska's artwork is inspired by the Parisian luxury world of fashion, textures and pure color. "Black Forest" is a dramatic and contemporary abstract painting. It is created u...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Pigment, Gesso, Cotton Canvas

Organic Geometry (Fragrant Portals II) (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Organic Geometry (Fragrant Portals II) (Abstract Painting) Mixed media on paper - Unframed Artwork exclusive to IdeelArt. In this series, Michael Barringer wants to make deeply f...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Dashing into the day 3 (Abstract work on paper)
Located in London, GB
Dashing into the day 3 (Abstract work on paper) Acrylics, ink and oil on paper - Unframed. This artwork is exclusive to IdeelArt. Knaut builds her compositions slowly over time, a...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Oil, Acrylic

K2005 (Abstract work on paper)
Located in London, GB
K2005 (Abstract work on paper) Mixed media and collage on paper - Unframed. Harald Kröner works thoroughly with paper, of which he is a notorious collector. Harald Kröner's work i...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Fragment (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
Fragment (Abstract Expressionism painting) Acrylic and mixed media on paper - Unframed Werfel employs expressive, lyrical gestures that create bursts of movement and energy. Her co...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic

0118.4 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
0118.4 (Abstract Painting) Pigmented wax and ink on Shikoku paper - Unframed Working on paper has always been an important part of Tracey Adams daily practice. For almost thirty ye...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Wax

Cut-Up Paper 2004 (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
Cut-Up Paper 2004 (Abstract Drawing) Acrylic on paper - Unframed. Pedersen works with acrylic paint. When painting a composition, she tends toward a limited color palette, often r...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Stem in Black #1 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Stem in Black #1 (Abstract painting) Charcoal & Oil stick on paper - Unframed. Baribeau constructs his paintings layer upon layer, building color, form and texture into viscous, im...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

P3.13 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
P3.13 (Abstract painting) Gouache on Japanese paper. Unframed. This gouache paint on Japanese paper is a result of working with the accidental arrangements of found colored papers ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

C Zone 09 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
C Zone 09 (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on Hahnemühle paper - Unframed Emma Godebska is a French abstract artist living in Nimes, France. Her use of natural pigments, reflective of n...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Intermezzo 6 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Intermezzo 6 (Abstract drawing) Charcoal on paper - Unframed. Image size: 46.3 x 43.8 cm/ 18 1/4 x 17 1/4 inches. Neill creates works on canvas, linen and paper using a variety of...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Lakeside Quiet, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A western landscape featuring a quiet lake at the edge of a mountain range. Delicate, misty clouds pass overhead. "In order to conv...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Schist 9 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Schist 9 (Abstract painting) Casein on paper - Unframed Anne Russinof often does paintings on paper to loosen up for the larger canvas works. The point is to free her hand. For h...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Casein

Ambassade 47 (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
Ambassade 47 (Abstract Expressionism painting) Watercolor on hot press paper - Unframed This work is part of the watercolour series titled Ambassade which was named after a visit a...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

L.I.C. (Orange) (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
L.I.C. (Orange) (Abstract Drawing) Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. Peter Soriano works on relatively large sheets of Japanese paper with a tendency to work...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil

Cut-Up Paper 2005 (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
Cut-Up Paper 2005 (Abstract Drawing) Acrylic on paper - Unframed. Pedersen works with acrylic paint. When painting a composition, she tends toward a limited color palette, often r...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

P1.13 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
P1.13 (Abstract Painting) Gouache and collage on Japanese paper - Unframed This gouache paint with collage on Japanese paper is a result of working with the accidental arrangements...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Celestial Wink
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Paul Jenkins Celestial Wink c. 1970 Watercolor 14 5/8 x 22 1/2 in. Signed ABOUT THE WORK This work has all the elements of a great Jenkins watercolor. It has...
Category

1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Test Pattern 6 (Grey study)
Located in London, GB
Test Pattern 6 (Grey study) Ink, gouache and acrylic on Fabriano paper - Unframed. Test Pattern series sets up a generic template as a poetic prompt to consider how behavioural res...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Gouache

Untitled 8 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 8 (Abstract painting) Acrylic and oil on paper. Unframed. Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

Untitled 557 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 557 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper - Unframed. The technique Johnson employs is extremely rigorous, involving, as he says, “pushing paint around with palette knives ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Blue Water Dots (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Blue Water Dots (Abstract Painting) Watercolor / work on paper - Unframed This work on paper is made with thread and watercolor. It is a “drawing” of color with a brush, line wit...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Thread, Paper, Watercolor

M353 (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
M353 (Abstract Drawing) Digital creation, printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag de 308 gr - Unframed. Fluctuating between illustration and expressionism, connecting the geometric and bi...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Digital

A Little Morning Mist, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
When artist Patricia Prendergast paints at the river, she often quickly picks up her camera and snaps photographs of other details ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel

Cut-Up Paper 2001 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Cut-Up Paper 2001 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper - Unframed. Pedersen works with acrylic paint. When painting a composition, she tends toward a limited color palette, often ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Terra Incognita 1 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Terra Incognita 1 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on 300lb. Arches hotpress paper - Unframed Snow sees her work as a constant play between order and chaos, logic and emotion. She combi...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled (ID 1298) (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled (ID 1298) (Abstract painting) Ink and acrylic on paper - Unframed In her abstract drawings, collages and paintings, Fieroza Doorsen brings to life the tensions and harmoni...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic

Balance (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Balance (Abstract painting) Ink, oil pastel and charcoal on paper - Unframed. Artwork exclusive to IdeelArt. Adrienn Krahl’s paintings express a prof...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Ink

M288 (Abstract new media)
Located in London, GB
M288 (Abstract new media) Digital creation, printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag de 308 gr - Unframed. Fluctuating between illustration and expressionism, connecting the geometric and ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Digital

Untitled 2010 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 2010 (Abstract Painting) Oil on postcard - Unframed. In her abstract drawings, collages and paintings, Fieroza Doorsen brings to life the tensions and harmonies that emerg...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Oil, Postcard

022 o.T., 2017 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
022 o.T., 2017 (Abstract painting) Acrylic, adhesive tape on paper - Unframed. Daniel Gottin's interest and concept are to examine the subjective nature of perception, and playfull...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Tape, Acrylic

Test Pattern 12 (Grey study) (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Test Pattern 12 (Grey study) (Abstract painting) Ink, gouache and acrylic on Fabriano paper - Unframed. Test Pattern series sets up a generic template as ...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Gouache

Jazz: Miles ʻSomeday My Princeʼ 8 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Jazz: Miles ʻSomeday My Princeʼ 8 (Abstract Painting) Papers, oil, flashe, pencil, MSA gel. Unframed. This piece is part of a series based on trumpeter Miles Davisʼ lyrical jazz v...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Diagram Drawing 2 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Diagram Drawing 2 (Abstract Drawing) Colored pencil on paper - Unframed. This work will be shipped rolled in a tube. McGlynn is interested in how a minimally-determined presentation of form can critique the residual meaning of the mediated imagery of popular culture...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Color Pencil

The Path through the Eucalyptus, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A path leads into dense woods, punctuated by old growth eucalyptus trees and bright, dry grasses. Quickly passing fog glows with afternoon light. A common sig...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel

Untitled 8 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 8 (Abstract painting) Acrylic and oil on paper. Unframed. Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

Terra Incognita 5 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Terra Incognita 5 (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on 300lb. Arches hotpress paper - Unframed Snow sees her work as a constant play between order and chaos, logic and emotion. She combi...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

1.20 (Ref 09) (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
1.20 (Ref 09) (Abstract Expressionism painting) Gouache on paper - Unframed Jill Moser is an American abstract artist whose work explores the intersection of “painting, writing and...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Untitled 743 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 743 (Abstract Painting) Watercolour on paper - Unframed. Artwork exclusive to IdeelArt. French abstract artist Jérémie Iordanoff blends the visual languages of Western Mo...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Drawing For Color As Adjective-noun 6 (Grey) (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Drawing For Color As Adjective-noun 8 (Sky Blue) (Abstract painting) Acrylic on Fabriano-Terra paper - Unframed. This work derives from the series Color as Adjective, a series of drawings...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Loll (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Loll (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on Montval paper - Unframed Artwork exclusive to IdeelArt. Martina Nehrling is an American abstract artist whose dynamic and richly textured paint...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Test Pattern 2 (Grey Study) (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
Test Pattern 2 (Grey Study) (Abstract Drawing) Ink, gouache and acrylic on Fabriano paper - Unframed. Test Pattern series sets up a generic template as a poetic prompt to consider ...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Gouache

Untitled 2012 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 2012 (Abstract Painting) Ink and acrylic on paper - Unframed. In her abstract drawings, collages and paintings, Fieroza Doorsen brings to life the tensions and harmonies t...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic

Sattva 39 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Sattva 39 (Abstract painting) Encaustic on Okawara paper - Unframed. Adams works on panel and paper, using a mixture of paint, encaustic and graphite as well as elements of monotyp...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Encaustic

016 Nr. 2, 2018 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
016 Nr. 2, 2018 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper, mounted on paper - Unframed. Image's size: 20.8cm/12.6cm/8 x 5 inches. Daniel Gottin's interest and concept are to examine th...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Blue, Orange and Pink Geometric Abstract Painting
By John O Neil
Located in Houston, TX
Blue, orange and pink pastel work done in an abstract geometric style. It is framed in a black frame with a white matte. The artist signed the work in the bottom right corner along a...
Category

1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel

Manifest 2 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Manifest 2 (Abstract Painting) Charcoal and water on paper. Unframed. Margaret Neill works for a time on a group of pieces in a series, using classic almost primal materials such a...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Drawing For Color As Adjective-noun 7 (Pink) (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Drawing For Color As Adjective-noun 7 (Pink) (Abstract painting) Acrylic on Fabriano-Terra paper - Unframed. "This work is part of a series titled ""Drawing for 3 configurations', ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Rouge (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Ink on paper - Unframed. Reyna works with ink, acrylics and oils on canvas or paper. One of his signature techniques is to dilute his mediums so the colors will dissipate and interm...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Untitled (Ref 18067)
Located in London, GB
Ink on paper - Unframed. Martín Reyna is an Argentinian-born abstract painter living in Paris, France. His gestural abstract paintings delight the eye and activate the mind with the...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Abstract drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract drawings and watercolor paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add drawings and watercolor paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Martin Reyna , Mila Akopova, Jaanika Peerna, and Sumit Mehndiratta. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Abstract drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available. Prices for drawings and watercolor paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1 and tops out at $400,000, while the average work sells for $1,408.

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