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.
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Archival Paper, Handmade Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Egg Tempera, Postcard, Pen
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Archival Paper, Handmade Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Paper, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Cardboard
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Graphite
Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan paints an impressionist Belted Kingfisher in gentle brush strokes. The bird roosts on the dense summer...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Archival Paper, Graphite
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Gouache
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil Pastel
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Tissue Paper
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Graphite
1970s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Graphite
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist Siyuan Ma shares an ethereal outlook of a snowy mountain range with an abstract approach. After the rain, sunlight shines on t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Archival Paper, Handmade Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
1980s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1920s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Carbon Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Enamel
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Archival Paper, Ink, Gouache
Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan displays an impressionist portrait of a charming red sea turtle. He pictures the shelled reptilian swimming under the refreshing ocean. Blades of kelp float along the background creating points of light green complements. In its natural habitat, it appears beautiful and harmonic.
About the Artist
Suren is an impressionist painter eloquently capturing nature, landscapes, and cityscapes in paint. His body of work reflects several different stylistic approaches. Suren’s scenes in oil are inspired by Impressionist masters Monet and Van Gogh, while his watercolor series of flowers and birds are influenced by Eastern styles of painting and the colors of the Middle Eastern environment. Suren believes his role as an artist is to remind viewers that we all are part of the same natural universe.
Words that describe this painting: sea turtle, sea turtle gift, turtle lover gift, turtle artwork, turtle painting, children room, kids wall art...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink, Archival Paper, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Clay, Polymer
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Gouache, Graphite
1990s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Board, Pencil, Gouache
Late 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Enamel
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Board
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
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1950s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache
Early 2000s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pigment
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper, Pen
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Wood Panel, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Archival Paper, Handmade Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink