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
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Paint, Paper, Oil Crayon, Mixed Media, Wax
2010s Abstract More Art
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Panel, Cardboard
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Ceramic, Underglaze
2010s Abstract More Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Resin, Vinyl
20th Century Abstract More Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract More Art
Tapestry, Wool
1980s Abstract More Art
Metal, Enamel
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Ballpoint Pen
Artist Comments
Artist Joanie Ford depicts a few beachgoers enjoying a relaxing day out by the shore. Clouds provide a cool shadow from the sun's summer heat as a gentle bree...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract More Art
Tapestry, Wool
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
1980s Abstract More Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Fabric, Silk, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Nancy Merkle captures a big open western sky over a grassy prairie. Large, fluffy clouds sweep up to the heavens, reflecting the pastel colors of the s...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A thickly textured palette knife painting of an old saguaro cactus standing against a blooming spring desert backdrop. "This painting was inspired by the incredible Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California," shares artist Lisa Elley. "It's where the Colorado and Mojave Deserts collide with amazing vistas and dazzling flowers."
About the Artist
Working almost exclusively with a palette knife, Lisa Elley maneuvers her artistic blade with an uncanny fluidity. Why paint only with the knife? She says, "when I paint with a brush, which I do occasionally, I tend to focus on the detail. With a palette knife I can't focus on the detail too much, so my paintings are looser, and more gestural, with bigger sweeps and strokes." This technique is called wet-on-wet. And it seems to be quite popular, as she has been bestowed the title "Knife Queen" by her facebook fans. Fun fact: Lisa's high school art teacher told her to study harder at math, as a career in art was "impossible."
Words that describe this painting: desert, Mojave, flowers, floral, spring, cactus, sun, mountains, sky, landscape, California, Joshua Tree, impressionism, landscape, western, representational, oil painting, purple
Desert Bloom...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
20th Century Abstract More Art
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
"This piece was inspired by an early morning hike through a lush meadow filled with summer flowers," says Crystal. "The sun was just starting to creep in over...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
In her signature deep impasto style, artist Lisa Elley paints an emerald birch forest emerging in the sunshine. With marked palette knife work, she imparts ge...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Screen, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
Artist George Peebles exhibits palm trees overlooking the Caribbean. He captures the relaxed scene with an impressionist approach. Fresh blue waters drift to ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Wood, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero shares about his recent visit to Boston. While there, he and his wife took in the many cultural and historic sights. One of the places they spent some time was at the Historic Boston Library where Onelio examined the Sargent murals. The series of murals known as "Triumph of Religion", depict Judeo-Christian themes. "I painted myself as the figure in the room with the blank panel that Sargent never completed. It was to be a scene depicting 'The Sermon on...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Linen, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Latex
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Abstract More Art
Screen
Artist Comments
"This piece is inspired by a steep hike in the high mountains in summer," shares artist Crystal DiPietro. As a hiker, Crystal imparts the feeling of happiness from these wonderful views she gathers during her adventurous trips. "The flower-filled alpine meadows and stunning views bring joy to the heart."
About the Artist
Many artists work with the landscape, but Crystal DiPietro sees her works as different from most in the genre. "I tend not to see landscapes as soft and pretty, but as rugged, dramatic and colorful." Many of her works depict wild storms and moody sunsets. She spends a lot of time in remote spots and uses layers of color to create her compositions. Her work hovers between a brief impression of a scene and a pure dream. Crystal's landscapes of southern Utah seem to undulate and continuously change. What's interesting, though, is that these mountains and valleys seem to do the same thing in person. In these areas, the view changes constantly throughout the day as the light shifts, throwing shadows of faces, mazes and alien patterns across the cliff faces. Crystal impressively captures what's there, and what seems to be but isn't.
Words that describe this painting: mountains, flowers, hike, landscape, alpine, peaks, wildflowers, southwest, west, western, impressionism, impressionism, landscape, western, oil painting
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1970s Abstract More Art
Screen
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
1960s Abstract More Art
Color, Screen
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Wood, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
