Abstract Drawings and Watercolor 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.
Early 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pencil
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Digital
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Graphite
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Archival Paper, Graphite
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Tempera, Illustration Board
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Pen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Ink, Canvas
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Other Medium
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Acrylic, Color Pencil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Permanent Marker
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper, Pen
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A western landscape featuring a quiet lake at the edge of a mountain range. Delicate, misty clouds pass overhead. "In order to conv...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Jewel tones and translucent layers form mesmerizing organic shapes. Rippling textures and fluid movement generate a kaleidoscope of color and emotion, evoking a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil, Color Pencil
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Rice Paper, Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ballpoint Pen
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
1890s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media, Gouache
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache