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, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Plastic, Color Pencil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mylar, Color Pencil, Graphite
1940s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mylar, Pencil, Pigment
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Plastic
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pastel, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil, Postcard
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Digital
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Inkjet
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Inkjet
Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar can't help but be charmed by California's expansive vineyards. Often taking inspiration from the rich and verdant views as she lives in easy travel distance to many of them. In this piece, Catherine offers the viewers a perspective from within a vineyard. Rows and rows of grapevines cover the landscape and nearby trees border the edge adding fiery touches to the scene. Painting the piece in an impressionistic style, Catherine uses deep shadows that highlight autumn light drawing the viewer in to see what she sees.
About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern California. While she is well-versed in a range of media, her preferred medium for painting is watercolor. The fluidity of the paint allows her to capture the muted undertones and the fleeting light found in the natural world. While the backgrounds of her paintings are impressionistic, the foregrounds of her paintings are often highly detailed, showcasing her technical mastery over her medium.
Words that describe this painting: landscape, vineyard, grapes, nature, autumn, fall, season, California, wine country, impressionism, farm, plants, watercolor, paper, travel, impressionism, landscape, travel, watercolor painting, green
November in the Vineyard...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel, Pastel, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Enamel
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink, Gouache, Graphite