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.
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Archival Paper, Graphite
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, C Print
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Graphite
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Enamel
Mid-19th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink, Handmade Paper
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite, Pencil
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Rag Paper, Pencil, Graphite, Monotype
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Ink, Graphite, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Emulsion, Watercolor, Rag Paper, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Ink, Graphite, Gouache
Artist Comments
Black lines form a minimalist triangle against a white background, reflecting artist John Diehl's mastery of geometric precision with freehand artistry. Part...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Cardboard
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
1920s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Cotton, Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist John Diehl blends geometric precision with freehand artistry in this minimalist composition. The equilateral triangle and clean lines create a bold yet...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Oil Pastel
Artist Comments
Artist Gail Ragains displays a figurative abstract of a nude woman. Gail approaches the composition with spontaneous bursts of expression, followed by thought...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Lithograph
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
In this soft Northern California landscape, artist Patricia Pendergast explores the expressive colors she experienced while on location. "I pushed the local c...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
Artist Comments
"Mt. Diablo has many faces," says artist Catherine McCargar. "It can be seen from afar and up close." In this painting, Catherine captured the scene by standi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Graphite
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
Early 19th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink