Abstract More Art
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.
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Muslin, Wood, Paper
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Brass
2010s Abstract More Art
Fabric, Textile
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Metal, Steel
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Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
A glowing spring sunset along Highway 1 in Big Sur. "I was inspired by the bounty of California coastal wildflowers," says Kajal Zaveri. "They are a treat for...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Fabric, Textile
2010s Abstract More Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Fabric
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Painting from life, artist Mary Pratt creates a clear glass vase with light reflecting on its shiny surface. With pronounced brushstrokes, Mary sets a joyful ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Mixed Media, Permanent Marker, Lithograph, Offset
1990s Abstract More Art
Tapestry
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Handmade Paper
Artist Comments
A small house proudly stands at the top of a grassy hill, warmed by the morning sunlight. "This painting is a typical motif of the family farms found througho...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
Artist Comments
Tara took the reference photo of this sage filled desert landscape while living in New Mexico. To prepare the canvas, she used a warm peach color as her underpainting and layered swatches of a deep blue collage...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
As the sun rises, golden hues of peach and soft shades of blue illuminate the pond. Artist Gail Greene paints this restorative moment capturing the quiet and ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Mandy Main paints a vast Tuscan countryside. A field of red poppies dazzles in the foreground as masses of impossibly bright yellow rapeseed flourish in the background. Mandy paints the nearby hills shrouded in vibrant blues and greens as the far mountains recede into the distance with gray tones. She suggests natural elements throughout the scene with loose brushwork.
About the Artist
Mandy Main is an art historian and landscape painter based in the Southern California desert. She has long been passionate about 19th Century American landscape paintings...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
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Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Wool, Cotton
Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mackey says she asked her patrons to help her title this impressionist painting of orange tulips, and she loved the sug...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
The title of this painting expresses artist Onelio Marrero's observations of people sitting alone in restaurants and cafes. In this case, a woman waits agains...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil




