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.
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wool, Cotton
Artist Comments
Artist Terri Bell executes abstract sound waves into uniform horizontal lines. Each pattern stream sets the background apart in mesmerizing brown and beige sphe...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Charcoal, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Wax, Thread, Latex, Paint, Varnish, Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Fiberboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glass, Resin, Glitter, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wool, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
Artist Comments
A compelling western scene of the Muddy Mountains lays out in the beautiful geography of the Mojave. Artist Crystal DiPietro paints an impressionist rendering o...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wool, Cotton
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Inkjet, Pigment, Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist Darlene McElroy creates an intricate and fun mixed-media portrait with references from Mexican day of the dead motifs and renaissance art. "He was a smooth guy, very debonair, and quite the raconteur," says Darlene. "He dressed for every occasion, always stood out in a crowd, and was a heartbreaker."
About the Artist
Darlene McElroy sees creating art as similar to reading Turkish coffee grounds. A story becomes revealed as one looks at the surface, texture and color. Her works use a variety of materials ranging from acrylic paints to photo transfers and collage. She currently lives in New Mexico and has been greatly influenced by the work of Robert Rauschenberg. She encourages viewers to search for their narrative interpretation when viewing a work.
Words that describe this painting: man, male, figurative, masculine, masked, flower, butterflies, Day of the Dead, narrative, storytelling, portrait, people, mixed media, pattern, fun, expressionism, texture, expressionism, people, mixed media artwork, black
Sugar Daddy...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton, Wool
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wool, Cotton
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Canvas, Cotton, Acrylic, Color Pencil
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Oil, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Ceramic, Plaster, Mosaic, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Ceramic, Plaster, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Joe Giuffrida exhibits an expressionist view of two acacia trees. He captures the beauty of the canopies with textural and col...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Encaustic, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Paper, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic, Muslin