Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
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 Cรฉzanne challenged traditional expectations of perspective in the 1890s.
Some of the earliest abstract artists โ Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint โ 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 โfrom the dead weight of the real world,โ as he later wrote.
Surrealism in the 1920s, led by artists such as Salvador Dalรญ, 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 Frankenthalerโs expressive โsoak-stainโ technique, Jackson Pollockโs drips of paint, and Mark Rothkoโs 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.
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Pen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, India Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
1930s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Paper, Pastel
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Paper, Graphite
1930s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pen, Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Other Medium
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pastel
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Mixed Media, Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Synthetic Paper
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Oil Pastel, Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Gouache, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Gouache
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Gouache, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Rag Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Rag Paper, Graphite
20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Monoprint, Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Crayon
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Acrylic, Archival Paper
1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Canvas, Chalk
1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Dye, Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Sumi Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Acrylic, Archival Paper, Paint, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gesso, Paper, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Oil
Early 20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gesso, Acrylic, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Handmade Paper, Monoprint
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
1930s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Gouache
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Gouache
1910s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Contรฉ, Charcoal, India Ink, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, ...