Abstract Mixed Media
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 Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Graphite
Artist Comments
Fields of color map out artist Terri Bell's colorful abstract piece. The composition combines grid-like structures and segments contrasting with organic shapes....
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Encaustic, Digital
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Thread
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist Diana Elena Chelaru depicts three expressionist female figures in a wavy dance. Their flowing dresses burst into a joyous explosion of blue flowers. She ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Anna Yoo paints an expressionist composition of humans connected through technology in a forest. "Global warming is becoming a stronger threat as an envi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Charcoal, Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paste, Fabric, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Paula Martino paints a semi-abstracted view of the hull of a wrecked tugboat. She draws inspiration from a shipwreck on the southeast shore of Monhegan I...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Giclée
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood Panel, Plaster, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Epoxy Resin, Glue, Glaze, Glitter, Ink, Acrylic, Pigment, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Color, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Gail Ragains recalls the play of light and cool tones from a time she spent swimming. With this inspiration, Gail paints layers of varied shades of blue ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plexiglass, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic