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 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.
20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pigment, Paper
1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Graphite
1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Rag Paper
1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel, Watercolor
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Crayon
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Graphite
Artist Comments
Artist Siyuan Ma shares an ethereal outlook of a snowy mountain range with an abstract approach. After the rain, sunlight shines on t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Acrylic, Gouache, Archival Paper, Graphite
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Adhesive, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Oil
1990s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Oil, Monotype
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Paper, Charcoal
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pastel
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Oil, Gouache, Board, Pencil
Artist Comments
A minimalist triangle emerges on a white background, exuding a bold yet understated appeal. It captures artist John Diehl's mastery of geometric precision wit...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Tissue Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Magazine Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Oil Pastel, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Conté, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, Color Pencil, Graphit...
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Color Pencil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Thread, Ink, Acrylic, Color Pencil, Graphite
1990s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Etching
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Acrylic, Paper, Ink
1990s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Crayon
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Textile, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Color and energy flow together in this mesmerizing alcohol ink painting, evoking a sense of movement beyond the physical world. Swirling layers of deep indigos,...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Metal
1990s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pastel, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Oil, Gouache