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
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Magazine Paper
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Watercolor
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Illustration Board
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Wax Crayon, Sumi Ink, Archival Paper, Graphite
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika depicts a cold January afternoon before a snowstorm near the US Capitol in Washington DC. Glowing in the afternoon light, James captures th...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Enamel
Late 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pen
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Color Pencil, Vellum
Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mudd demonstrates a sweeping view of Madison from the Ohio River. As part of her Marine collection, she spotlights the vi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar paints a rural setting in this impressionist piece. She uses her refined skills to convey a grass field's softness and intricacies. Meanwhile, she leads the viewer along the walking path into the welcoming shadows and shelter of the copse of trees ahead. "One can almost feel the crunch underfoot," says Catherine.
About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1940s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink, Laid Paper
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Dye, Handmade Paper, Mixed Media, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Magazine Paper
Artist Comments
A breathtaking panorama of mountains emerges from the mist in artist Siyuan Ma's piece. The abstract imagery takes the viewer into a ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Magazine Paper
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mylar, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Epoxy Resin
1940s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Wax Crayon, Sumi Ink, Archival Paper, Graphite
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pen
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Magazine Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Magazine Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Magazine Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Magazine Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Magazine Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Paper, Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mudd captures a unique perspective on one of her signature rural landscapes, representing a grand old barn from the rear of the property. She uses...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor