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 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
Artist Comments
Cool air blows as the sun radiates warmth into the atmosphere. The early morning light glows from behind a stretch of mountains in the far distance. "I find t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Light seeps between voluminous flowing clouds. A cool wind blows ruffling leaves from tall trees while birds fly away to the distance. "I find that getting aw...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
"I have always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon - and as a result have fantasized painting them too," says artist James Nyika. "When I created this paintin...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Painted from a photographic reference, artist Joanie Ford rendered this painting with contrasting soft tones. "I wanted to represen...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Etching, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Wax
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Lacquer
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Crayon, Ink
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Etching, Aquatint
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"There are many truly iconic architectural structures in Japan, and the Odaiba Bridge is one of the more memorable ones!" says artist James Nyika. "I wanted t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Graphite
Artist Comments
"During an early fall morning on one of my daily strolls, I was coming round a bend and saw this sight - bright morning sunlight ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Pastel
Artist Comments
"This picture captures the dying rays of a winter evening at Fairwood Park in Maryland," shares artist James Nyika. "I wanted to portray the setting sun, warm...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
Artist Comments
A panoramic autumn view of rolling hills and a sailboat on the bay in Northern California. The blue water provides a refreshing sight within the grassy straw-...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Artist Comments
When artist Patricia Prendergast paints at the river, she often quickly picks up her camera and snaps photographs of other details ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Pen, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Gouache
Artist Comments
A young girl reaches for her father's ready hand to guide her while she walks along a low wall in a lush garden. "I love gardens, and paint them often, so the...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A quiet Northern California morning on a rural road. The marine layer has nearly burned off, intensifying the colors in the landscape and deepening the shado...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Pigment
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper, Pencil, Color Pencil
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar based this painting off of a plein air piece she created while standing in the middle of this walking path and horse trail. "I had t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
I painted this from a smaller painting that I did on site at one of my favorite spots along the American River. The sun was going in and out of the clouds, so it was tricky to get a consistent lighting effect. The surface is a sanded paper with a neutral lavender tone that sets off the luminosity of my pastel sticks.
About the Artist
Pastel artist Patricia Prendergast creates impressionist artworks that depict the rivers and landscapes near her home in Sacramento, California. With each nature vignette, she captures the sense of larger natural rhythms through quick mark-making, mauve undertones, and a tranquil and serene haziness. Her work recalls the paintings from the Hudson River School such as Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand. Before working on her pastels at home in her studio, she spends hours studying nature on walks along the river near her home. Since becoming an artist, she says “everything is more vivid - the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water.” Her work as been exhibited in solo shows around California. She is represented by UGallery.
Words that describe this painting: tonalism...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Gouache, Rag Paper
Artist Comments
"A tranquil setting for a picnic or an early afternoon nap," says Patricia. The eucalyptus trees create a frame for the pond, the mid-ground bushes and the di...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Gouache, Graphite
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Artist Comments
I painted this on a piece of blue-grey sanded pastel paper. I let much of the paper show through in the water and just 'scumbled' across it to create some lig...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Paper
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mylar, Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Patricia set up her easel on an early fall morning to catch the beauty of the fog rising off of the river. The sun was just beginnin...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Digital
Early 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
Artist Comments
A spring garden scene, done in a loose and spontaneous watercolor style. Bright hues of yellow, pink and purple splash about the green foliage. Part of Karin'...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper