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.
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Graphite
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Epoxy Resin, Foam Board
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
Artist Comments
"Mount Diablo is a majestic presence throughout California's Bay Area," says artist Catherine McCargar. In this painting, she capt...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gesso, Watercolor, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Paint, Canvas
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pen
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Ink
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Laid Paper
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Ink, Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Paper, Archival Ink
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Permanent Marker
1930s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Ink
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Pencil, Graphite
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Archival Paper, Graphite
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media, Permanent Marker
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pen
Late 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic
1930s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Paint
1910s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Tissue Paper
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Paper
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Casein
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Rag Paper
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika paints a glimpse of a busy cityscape during the sunset. He captures a sense of stillness and tranquility in spite of the traffic and commotion. "I was leaving a restaurant in Washington when I saw this unbelievable light, and I ran out like a madman into the middle of the street to capture the reference," says James. He executes the piece shortly after taking the picture, with the effect fully in his mind.
About the Artist
Artist James Nyika paints the glowing atmosphere of cities across the world. As a child growing up in Kenya, he found art materials at the student bookshop and also borrowed just about every art history volume from the British Council library in Nairobi. "I checked out the same books over and over just to stare at the art, to try and understand how it was created," says James. With family encouragement to study engineering, James moved to the U.S. and immersed himself in science studies at Boston University. Several years after embarking on a tech career, he set a goal...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel, Gouache