Abstract Mixed Media
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.
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic, Mulberry Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gesso, Canvas, Acrylic, Engraving
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paste, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Monotype, House Paint, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Alabaster, Sandstone
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Pigment
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Tapestry
1950s Abstract Mixed Media
Mosaic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Board, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Cotton Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Paint, Paper, Conté, Charcoal, India Ink, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, ...
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Encaustic, Panel, Digital, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Silk, Wood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Enamel
Artist Comments
While camping in the Sonoran Desert, artist Crystal DiPietro beholds the sight of the mesas lighting up at dawn. Soft purple shadows cast over the foothills a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Panel, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Paper
Artist Comments
"This painting was inspired by birds taking flight,” says artist Linda Shaffer. “I love hummingbirds and live in Las Vegas, Nevada where they flourish. They zip all around my back yard and are beautiful to behold.” Linda captures the essence of the creature into a vibrant multi-layered mixed media. She utilized red, turquoise, and blue with hand-printed paper, original images, and washi papers resulting in a dynamic abstract piece.
About the Artist
Artist Linda Shaffer creates intricately layered abstract collages based on her worldly travels. "My defining art moment was when I was eleven years old and I got to visit Van Briggle Pottery in Colorado Springs," says Linda. "I watched mesmerized as the potter working on the wheel created a beautiful piece of art as if by magic from a lump of brown wet mud. I knew someday I would create those beautiful pieces of magic." After high school, Linda became a registered nurse. On her days off, she made pottery at a local studio. As her nursing career progressed – from labor and delivery to ICU and trauma, and then college nursing – she returned to school for her bachelor’s in business administration. Every elective she chose was an art class, and she built her own clay studio. Eventually, Linda earned her master’s in public health and became a tenured college professor. She was delighted that the job allowed her to take art classes every semester, where she discovered painting and printmaking. Linda retired early from teaching and wanted to learn more about fine jewelry, so she attended the Gemological Institute of America. Since 2011, she has been working full-time as a painter and jeweler. When Linda's not making art, she enjoys golfing with a close circle of friends. She's made two hole-in-ones and plans for more.
Words that describe this painting: abstract, mixed media, collage, hand-printed paper, monoprints, hummingbirds, animal, abstract, animals, mixed media artwork, red
Take Flight...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Paint
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Encaustic, Digital
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Board
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Part of artist Patrick O'Boyle's Ethereal Abstraction series. A play of electric pink and cool blues stands out with dynamic paint application. Various patter...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Permanent Marker, Color Pencil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media





