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, Oil
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
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract More Art
Screen, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
1990s Abstract More Art
Tapestry
Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan depicts saguaro cactuses in the deserts of Arizona standing under the hot sun. Their large fleshy stems stretch up to the sky thriving ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1960s Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Reflections on the water in Monet's pond at Giverny. Onelio spent some time there taking in the splendor of the setting. "Each view of the place was a paintin...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1960s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
"I was excited to be able to stay in the garden after closing time to paint the sunset over the marsh," shares artist Sherri Aldawood. She painted this view en plein air at Middleton Place...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Glitter, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"Snowed in for days, this dogwood with a few lingering leaves caught my eye one sunny morning," shares artist Elizabeth Garat. "I wanted to record the play of...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1940s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media
1970s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Metal, Steel
Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan presents a vibrant vineyard flourishing under the warm sun. As the bright sunlight falls on the rows of grapevines, intricate shadows c...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Glitter
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract More Art
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
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
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
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
Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Wax, Encaustic, Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Abstract More Art
Fabric, Textile, Cotton, Thread
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Morgan Fite paints with neutral tones, letting movement, texture and subtle contrasts tell the story and capture moments in time. "I painted this piece...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Gold Leaf
1970s Abstract More Art
Screen, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Ceramic, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"The fall colors of the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado are rich with earth tones," says artist Heather Foster. "One of my favorite road trips takes me t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero paints an emerald pool abundant with blooming water lilies. "I am fascinated by the three-fold nature of looking at the water's surface," says Onelio. He displays depth implied in the reflection of the sky, ripples, plants floating, and finally, the telltale signs of things just below the surface. Part of Onelio's ongoing series of paintings exploring bodies of water.
About the Artist
Artist Onelio Marrero paints impressionist city scenes of everyday life. He captures the romanticism of New York City, from the picturesque fountains in Central Park to a glistening city street on a rainy afternoon. He creates a sense of nostalgia and intimacy with his work, offering the feeling that you have visited this particular scene before. “Each play of light, each texture, and each movement of a figure can have a captivating effect on me,†says Onelio. He studied at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art where he mastered discerning color and values, giving his work a more spontaneous appearance. Onelio’s work is an appreciation for beauty in all of its greatest forms; nature, art, and people.
Words that describe this painting: water lily, lilies, Monet, pond, lake, lily pads, reflection, forest, flower, impressionism, water, plants, oilpaint, nature, impressionism, nature, oil painting, green
Pink Water...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Cotton
