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Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

ABSTRACT STYLE

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.

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Style: Abstract
Period: 21st Century and Contemporary
From the Sound of Arisaig, Winter Storm, Duncan MacDonald Johnson, Welsh Artist
Located in Deddington, GB
Duncan MacDonald Johnson From the Sound of Arisaig, Winter Storm Original Landscape Painting Watercolour Paint on Paper Image Size: H 56cm x W 76cm The work is sold mounted but not ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Bloques Desalineado 2. From The No. 1 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Bloques Desalineado 2, 2017 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 1 Series Chinese ink on bond paper Image size: 21 cm H x 14.8 cm W Frame size: 29 cm H x 22 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Kind ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Waterway I (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Waterway I (Abstract drawing) Watercolor on Arches paper - Unframed but mounted and hinged on foamcore backing, ready for framing. Uchiyama works with watercolor on Arches paper. S...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

1.20 (Ref 09) (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
1.20 (Ref 09) (Abstract Expressionism painting) Gouache on paper - Unframed Jill Moser is an American abstract artist whose work explores the intersection of “painting, writing and...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Untitled (ID 1298) (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled (ID 1298) (Abstract painting) Ink and acrylic on paper - Unframed In her abstract drawings, collages and paintings, Fieroza Doorsen brings to life the tensions and harmoni...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic

Oil & cold wax painting, Sandrine Kern, Untitled #5
Located in White Plains, NY
'Untitled #5' in 2017 by New York City base, French artist Sandrine Kern. Acrylic, oil, and ink on paper, Paper: 14.75 x 21 in. / Frame 19 x 25 in. This abstracted landscape work on paper features colors in blue, purple, pink, red, white, and black. Sandrine Kern's work is indicative of landscapes conjured by memory that communicate residual emotions to her viewers. The thick surfaces of her paintings are built up through her unique alteration of a technique similar to encaustic. Instead of utilizing hot wax in her process, Kern combines oil sticks, oil paint, and cold wax...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel, Ink, Acrylic

Isodomo. From The No. 1 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Isodomo, 2018 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 1 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 14.8 cm H x 21 cm W Frame size: 22 cm H x 29 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Kind Na...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Earthslide 565
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Oil and oil crayon on paper.
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Crayon, Oil

Earthslide 528
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Oil and oil crayon on paper.
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Crayon, Oil

Woven lines 49 - abstract geometric black grey dominant ink drawing on paper
Located in New York, NY
Dana Piazza's creates abstract colorful drawings, full of the illusion of depth, movement, and three-dimensionality. His highly obsessive ink drawings on paper are built upon algorit...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Archival Ink, Wood Panel, Archival Paper

Jorge Eliecer Gaitán, Stamp. From The No. 15 Series. Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Jorge Eliecer Gaitán (Framed) by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 15 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 29.7 cm H x 21 cm W Frame siz...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Steamer series 1 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Steamer series 1 (Abstract painting) Charcoal on paper - unframed. Neill creates works on canvas, linen and paper using a variety of mediums, including graphite, colored pencil, c...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Sunshine, The Golden Orb, Large Contemporary Pastel and Mixed Media Work on Paper
Located in Cotignac, FR
Contemporary mixed media and pastel on paper of a golden sun like orb by Belgian artist Francis Besson, signed bottom right. In plain contemporary oak f...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Effloresce (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Oil on paper - Unframed Framed on request Spielman uses oil paint on canvas, paper and panel in various sizes; she works on up to forty paintings at a time, moving between them as each begins to form, then isolating a work to bring to completion. Her saturated surfaces are luminous, with alternate glossy and matte layers, but also bear rough nail marks that scar and deconstruct the work. These etched lines and marks relate to an image and idea, and are often the underlying structure, the submerged language of a work. Her use of reds and pinks link to flesh and blood...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Línea Cubos. From The No. 4 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Línea Cubos, 2020 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 4 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 19 cm H x 19 cm W Frame size: 30 cm H x 30 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Kind ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Picos Intercalados 2. From The No. 1 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Picos Intercalados 2, 2018 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 1 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 14.8 cm H x 21 cm W Frame size: 22 cm H x 29 cm W x 4 cm D One o...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Milan I, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"Milan, the center of fashion in Europe, is a beautiful city with fantastic classical architecture, trams and people milling about attending to their work," ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Gotico. From The No. 1 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Gotico, 2018 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 1 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 14.8 cm H x 21 cm W Frame size: 22 cm H x 29 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Kind Nat...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Boston pebble 21 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Boston pebble 21 (Abstract painting) Mixed media. Unframed. This mixed media work on paper is one of numerous small-scale works, along with 8 medium-scale paintings on linen, that ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper

Screech of ice series 41 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Screech of ice series 41 (Abstract drawing) Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Picos Tercio. From The No. 3 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Picos Tercio, 2019 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 3 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 21 cm H x 14.8 cm W Frame size: 32 cm H x 26 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Ki...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Untitled 1 (Modern Black Charcoal & Gray Abstract Still Life Drawing on Paper)
Located in Hudson, NY
18 x 14 inch drawing on 20 x 16 inch Aquarelle Arches Paper 24 x 20 x .5 inches framed Thin profile black metal frame, 8 ply white mat Ralph Stout's works on paper reveal a drau...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Archival Paper, Charcoal

Ballooning, Morocco, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Fallen Angel - Contemporary, Collage, Green, 21st Century
Located in Berlin, DE
Fallen Angel, 2019 collage on paper 15 3/4 H x 11 13/16 W in. 40 H x 30 W cm The artist’s collages describe a series of characters composed of different materials – cardboards, text...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper

Morgan O'Hara, Movement of the Hands of Anthony Auerbach, Drawing, March 2000
Located in Darien, CT
Live Transmission Morgan O'Hara's conceptually based performative drawing researches the vital movement of living beings, the human experience of time and space. It is culturally co...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Graphite

Abstract Watercolor - La Guitare (The Guitar)
Located in Houston, TX
Bright colored abstract painting of a guitar, a microphone, and a keyboard with musical notes in the background. Geometrical patterns play a significant role throughout this paintin...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Belga. From The No. 1 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Belga, 2018 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 1 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 14.8 cm H x 21 cm W Frame size: 22 cm H x 29 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Kind Natu...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Untitled 10 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 10 (Abstract painting) Acrylic and oil on paper - Unframed Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony by exploring the enigmatic ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

Cut-Up Paper I.27 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Cut-Up Paper I.27 (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on paper. Unframed. Pedersen works with acrylic paint. When painting a composition, she tends toward a limited color palette, often r...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Isodomo Grilla. From The No. 1 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Isodomo Grilla, 2018 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 1 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 14.8 cm H x 21 cm W Frame size: 22 cm H x 29 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Ki...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Untitled 743 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 743 (Abstract Painting) Watercolour on paper - Unframed. Artwork exclusive to IdeelArt. French abstract artist Jérémie Iordanoff blends the visual languages of Western Mo...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Crop Circle
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Greenfield's versions are rendered in the Byzantine style of their art historical predecessors, with the black Virgin Mother and Baby Jesus as the central focus within circular compo...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Ink

When We Work Together, Abstract Figurative, Acrylic & Pencil on Paper, Signed
Located in Armonk, NY
When We Work Together, 2020 30" x 30" Abstract Figurative Mixed Media Acrylic and Pencil on Paper Signed Allison Meyler is a contemporary painter, with a love for color, pattern,...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Pencil, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Canto XXXVIII Dresden Night-Limited Ed. of 5 iPad drawing on Aluminum 46 X 60
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
iPad Drawing on aluminum 46 X 60; No 2 of edition of 5. This drawing was part of his Dresden exhibit at the Lowe Museum of Art. Sebastian Spreng's Dresden depicts the decimation of...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Metal

First Light, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
-Painted on artist quality acid-free 140 lb. watercolor paper. -Professional quality artists watercolor paints. (Daniel Smith) -Acid-Free paper. -Size: 11" x 14" -Signature on th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Anverso Derecha 100 Valor Real. From The No. 10 Series Abstract Drawing on paper
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Anverso Derecha 100 Valor Real (Framed) by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 10 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 29.7 cm H x 14 cm W ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Untitled Quarantine #1 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled Quarantine #1 (Abstract Painting) Watercolour and ink on paper - Unframed. This artwork is exclusive to IdeelArt. The works of San Francisco Bay Area-based abstract paint...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Untitled (Ref 19013) (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
Untitled (Ref 19013) (Abstract Drawing) Ink on paper - Unframed. Martín Reyna is an Argentinian-born abstract painter living in Paris, France. His gestural abstract paintings delig...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Lapin (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Lapin (Abstract painting) Oil on paper - Unframed Spielman uses oil paint on canvas, paper and panel in various sizes; she works on up to forty paintings at a time, moving between ...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Conference of the birds no 40 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Oil on paper. Unframed. Natural and mystical processes inspire Ostovany. Informed by a variety of different cultures, Ostovany feels a connection to multiple separate and yet comple...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Untitled 4 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 4 (Abstract Painting) Acrylic and oil on paper - Unframed Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony b...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

0118.5 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
0118.5 (Abstract Painting) Pigmented wax and ink on Shikoku paper - Unframed Working on paper has always been an important part of Tracey Adams daily practice. For almost thirty ye...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Wax

Sophia Brunhard
Located in ATLANTA, GA
You meet the Spanish artist Alexandro Santana and you think, cripes, can he be for real? So handsome, so flamboyant, so seductive, so amusing -- you’...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Pencil

Slouch (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Slouch (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on Montval paper - Unframed Martina Nehrling is an American abstract artist whose dynamic and richly textured paintings evoke kaleidoscopic world...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Bury (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Bury (Abstract Painting) Oil on paper - Unframed Spielman uses oil paint on canvas, paper and panel in various sizes; she works on up to forty paintings at a time, moving between t...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Terra Incognita 1 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Terra Incognita 1 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on 300lb. Arches hotpress paper - Unframed Snow sees her work as a constant play between order and chaos, logic and emotion. She combi...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Cut-Up Paper II.3 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Cut-Up Paper II.3 (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on paper. Unframed. Pedersen works with acrylic paint. When painting a composition, she tends toward a limited color palette, often r...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

HK1906YP (Abstract work on paper)
Located in London, GB
Ink, enamel, collage on paper - Unframed. This work is part of one of 4 on-going series of large works on paper. The name of this series, "Yappa...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Enamel

M5 - abstract calligraphy ink wash drawing / painting on paper, in black & white
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Nazanin Moghbeli is an Iranian-American artist with training in Persian calligraphy, miniature painting, and music. She borrows techniques from Irania...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Archival Paper, Ink

Textura. From The No. 5 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Textura (Framed) by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 5 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 25 cm H x 35 cm W Frame size: 32.5 cm H x 43 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Kind ...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Untitled 6 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Acrylic and oil on paper - Unframed Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony by exploring the enigmatic unity that can exist between seemi...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

The Surface of Things (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
The Surface of Things, (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on Montval paper - Unframed Artwork exclusive to IdeelArt. Martina Nehrling is an American abstract artist whose dynamic and ric...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled 7 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 7 (Abstract painting) Acrylic and oil on paper - Unframed Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony by exploring the enigmatic u...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

Untitled 2010
Located in London, GB
Oil on postcard - Unframed. In her abstract drawings, collages and paintings, Fieroza Doorsen brings to life the tensions and harmonies that emerge when structure meets intuition. H...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Oil, Postcard

M271 (Abstract new media)
Located in London, GB
Digital creation, printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag de 308 gr - Unframed. Fluctuating between illustration and expressionism, connecting the geometric and biomorphic worlds, Perea co...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Digital

Línea Aparejo. From The No. 4 Series. Abstract Drawing on paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Línea Aparejo, 2020 by Rodrigo Spinel From The No. 4 Series Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g. Image size: 19 cm H x 19 cm W Frame size: 30 cm H x 30 cm W x 4 cm D One of a Kin...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Manifest 2 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Manifest 2 (Abstract Painting) Charcoal and water on paper. Unframed. Margaret Neill works for a time on a group of pieces in a series, using classic almost primal materials such a...
Category

2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

9.1 (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
9.1 (Abstract Expressionism painting) Gouache on paper - Unframed Jill Moser is an American abstract artist whose work explores the intersection of “painting, writing and the anima...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Abstract drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract drawings and watercolor paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add drawings and watercolor paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Martin Reyna , Mila Akopova, Jaanika Peerna, and Sumit Mehndiratta. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Abstract drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available. Prices for drawings and watercolor paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1 and tops out at $400,000, while the average work sells for $1,408.

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