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, Gouache
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Monoprint
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Paper, Ink
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Vellum
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Digital
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Ink, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Chalk, Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Resin, Paper, Ink, Pen
Artist Comments
Artist Siyuan Ma displays an impression of the Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi Province. It holds significant scientific value for ancient Chinese architectur...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Gouache, Graphite
Late 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Ink
Artist Comments
The colors of winter gleam in artist Karin Johannesson's ethereal display of flowers. She depicts an interpretation of a winter field in Ontario, Canada. Flou...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Ink
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Enamel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Crayon
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
A monumental view of the Hyalite Reservoir in The Gallatin National Forest stands beautifully in artist Jill Poyerd's magnificent panoramic landscape. The snowcapped fields and mountains give off a pristine white glow against the multitude of bristly pine trees. Muted earth tones enhance the soft yellow tones in the lower sky, creating a natural and subtle color scheme. By paling the values as the scene recedes, Jill provides a feeling of expanse and depth.
About the Artist
Jill E Poyerd brings "peaceful, contemplative moments" to life on the canvas. She approaches the canvas with little preparation, instead allowing herself total freedom to create. Both her watercolor and oil painting works depict gorgeous scenes of nature with a style distinctly her own. Something as common as a tree appears soft and ethereal through Jill's painterly style.
Words that describe this painting: landscape, nature, Montana, mountain, range, Rocky Mountains, fall, winter, lake, reserve, Gallatin Forest, tonal, paper, watercolor, forest, woods, water, impressionism, impressionism, nature, watercolor painting...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Mylar, Color Pencil, Graphite
Late 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Encaustic
1850s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor, Pen, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Digital
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Wax Crayon
Artist Comments
"Often we forget about those little things in life that make us happy," says artist Maurice Dionne. He displays a couple out for an early evening walk with th...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Maurice Dionne paints an urban scene of people walking along the pavement. The piece captures the movement of the crowd of the downtown market loaded w...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink