Abstract Animal Paintings
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 Animal Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Pigment
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Metal
Artist Comments
A strong gazelle turns to regard the viewer, with a brilliant landscape drawing the eye into the distance. "There will always be favor when walking on the pat...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Pigment
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Pigment
1970s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Mixed Media, Cardboard
Artist Comments
"This is a calf from a herd I met in Pagosa Springs, Colorado," shares artist Heather Foster. "I wanted the bold underpainting to show through and give a dist...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
1980s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
"I had to have my roof replaced last year and to my dismay, a cardinal couple had made a nest on a tree limb that would have been in the way of the roofers taking off old shingles," shares artist Judy Mackey...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"There is that point when kids are looking grown but at the same time still look like the young kids that they are," muses artist Heather Foster. "This guy wa...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Paint, Paper, Ink, India Ink, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Ink, India Ink, Mixed Media, Paint, Paper
Artist Comments
"A New Kingdom was created through the idea of coming and going, moving through new thresholds, from one paradise to the next," exp...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A stoic portrait of a cheetah looking out over a glowing sunset, with the animal's cool and collected pose amplified by the painterly surroundings. "This piece gives a sense of the calm before the storm - of inner peace," says artist Miranda Gamel. "The cheetah is looking out into the fast landscape, looking for a sign, all while knowing there will be one to find."
About the Artist
The daughter of two artists, Miranda Gamel grew up with artistic aspirations. “When I was young, I couldn’t imagine that I would be anything else… it only seemed natural,” she says. She further developed her skills with her teachers (and fellow UGallery artists) John and Elli Milan. Miranda’s paintings exist on the edge of the surreal and the fantastical while remaining grounded in human emotion. Each painting, through its dynamic imagery, conveys the spirit embodied by the composition’s subject. Miranda’s ultimate goal is to portray each individual “being their true, raw, authentic self.”
Words that describe this painting: cheetah, wildlife, big cat, desert, sunset, animal, calm, expressionism, animals, non-representational, oil painting, purple
New Horizon...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
An expressionist dream-like jungle scene, with a tiger simultaneously moving throughout different moments. "This piece is an extension of self-exploration and...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
1980s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Ink, Oil, Spray Paint
Artist Comments
In this fantastical jungle scene, artist Miranda Gamel uses tigers as a symbol of strength and leadership. "Placing the tigers in the fire is meant to bring con...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Pigment
1980s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Paper, Pen
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Glitter, Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Paper, Pen
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1980s Abstract Animal Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
This scene was painted from my imagination. I often get inspired by simple, but special, everyday moments. I used palette knives to create a variety of texture ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Animal Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Animal Paintings
Paper, Oil