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.
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2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Fabric, Silk, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Gouache
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Stainless Steel
Artist Comments
Sunrise. Colored clouds recede into space, dominating this painting looking upriver. This painting is done in oil on stretched canvas. It is sealed with wax...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Wood, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Sherri Aldawood shares her fascination with light by using highly contrasting colors. In this piece, she makes elegant Koi fishes her subjects. The symbol of love, strength and dedication. She mimics their graceful movements into her strokes resulting into this tranquil composition.
About the Artist
Sherri Aldawood didn't intend to always paint flowers, but over time her love of gardens started to permeate her art. She focuses on the light and color of the flowers on the canvas. Sherri prefers alla prima, working with wet layers of paint instead of letting them dry. She keeps the paint as wet as possible by using walnut and clove oil...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan shows an inviting view of a vineyard that draws the eyes further towards a scenic mountain range lining the distance. Rows of grapevine...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"For a few brief moments on the south rim, the morning sun lights up the canyon walls like neon while casting blue shadows into its depths," says artist Cryst...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter
Artist Comments
Artist Yangzi Xu depicts an iconic view of LaSalle Street in Chicago, facing south from the bridge. She rendered this piece in a warm muted palette, setting the stage to highlight sporadic lights and reflections on wet concrete. "My focus was to convey the mood and feeling a rainy day brings to my beloved city," shares Yangzi.
About the Artist
Artist Yangzi Xu captures a nostalgia for Chicago and its dramatic seasonal changes in her expressionist cityscapes. Having a full-time job and being a wife and mother, Yangzi makes a habit of painting everyday to keep her passion exciting and fresh. She keeps a queue of ideas and reference photos that she takes throughout the year. She looks through her references, tweaks and adds elements to them. Once inspiration strikes, Yangzi draws several sketches and begins to work with oils on canvas on multiple pieces at once - to keep each painting spontaneous and new. "I try to capture the paradox of life in the city, where one can be in a crowd and yet feel alone," Yangzi says. "My main intent is not to capture the physical reality of a scene, but to express my own moods and feelings to my audience." In her free time, Yangzi enjoys reading, with her current favorite genres being biographies and memoirs. Yangzi is an alumnus of DePaul University in Chicago.
Words that describe this painting: Chicago, La Salle...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
Artist Comments
With an undertone of cool colors, artist Janet Dyer presents a serene composition of summer in Provence, France. Lush greene...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Faye Vander Veer depicts a late afternoon at a cafe in Rome. Understanding design, value, and color harmony, Faye demonstrates these with keen attention to detail. "You first notice the waiter carefully placing crystal wine glasses on the table," shares Faye. "Then leading to the lady in blue...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Linen, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Faye Vander Veer depicts a cozy rainy evening in the city. "You can almost hear the sound of the tires as the traffic moves along the wet pavement," says Faye. Drizzly street scenes are among her favorite subjects to portray. She paints reflected headlights and other ambient lighting to give a feeling of warmth and calm.
About the Artist
Artist Faye Vander Veer seeks out moments with engaging narratives and captures them with an impressionist style. Her dramatic use of color, texture, light and shadow lend a glowing quality, creating an energy all their own. While using her own photographs as a general reference, it is her sensory memory of the event and her emotional reaction that is conveyed on the canvas, causing the viewer to be transported to another time and place. “Painting becomes a language I use to express my emotional response to what is before me and share my experience of the subject with others,“ says Faye.
Words that describe this painting: impressionism, cityscape, city, San Francisco, architecture, nocturne, rain, cars, pedestrians, buildings, lights, Mark League, street, road, facade, evening, cab, taxi, street light, oilpaint, reflection, travel, architecture, impressionism, travel, oil painting, blue
Evening Rain...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
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
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, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Linen, Oil
1940s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1990s Abstract More Art
Offset, Lithograph
Artist Comments
Onelio lives near Manhattan and travels there often. Grand Central Station is one of his frequent stops. "It is a marvelous interior space that bustles with c...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
In this modernist nude portrait, artist Robin Okun highlights the soft curves of the body against the structure of the space, adding expression with a subtle ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
20th Century Abstract More Art
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Wax, Encaustic, Oil, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
Part of Naoko's signature series, Who Are These Angels. A diaphanous angel stands quietly in a deep blue landscape. The tonal quality of the painting accentua...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
This painting is part of Suren Nersisyan's series of California landscapes focusing on the nature and stunning light around Los Angeles. He draws inspiration ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Using a limited palette of transparent purples and yellows, artist Valerie Berkely presents a calming abstract floral. "I want ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Monotype, Rag Paper, Ink
Artist Comments
A man casts off from a dock in morning sunshine, his reflection softly distorted in the lapping water below. "The fisherman prefers catching fish early in the...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
1990s Abstract More Art
Copper
2010s Abstract More Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
Artist Elizabeth Garat heralds the transition from summer to fall in a vibrant display of deep and bright hues. "The focal point is a tree along a pathway glo...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
