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.
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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Epoxy Resin
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
A continuation of artist Terri Bell's Geometria Grid series, this piece incorporates geometric shapes into organic arrangements. The painting's complex color pa...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paint, Paper, Ink, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist Terri Bell often works with defined grids in her paintings. In this creation, Terri allows square and organic spaces to float freely toward the bottom of the composition and outside of the grid lines. The result is an interconnected framework that is unified by linear patterns, textures, and related colors. Part of Terri's ongoing Geometria series.
About the Artist
Artist Terri Bell constructs highly detailed geometric fields that dance to life with engaging colors and soft edges. As a young child, Terri always wanted to paint, draw, or play imaginative games. She entered college as an art major and received important mentorship from several teachers. Unfortunately, it was at this point that Terri’s art career was put on hold. "I had to make a couple of detours along the way, and ended up changing my major to political science," she says, "which led me to work in a high stress, high profile state government position." Terri’s creative pursuits were more limited but ever-present. "Art was the balance in my life and I never gave up my dream." Through hard work and determination, she has returned to her calling as a full-time career artist. When she’s not painting, Terri enjoys cooking, container gardening, and spending time with her husband and two Yorkies.
Words that describe this painting: geometric, Geometria, abstract, organic, linear, lines, grids, dots, ordered, box, abstract, mixed media artwork
Stepping Out of Line...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Watercolor, Graphite
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Oil, Archival Paper, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Color, Giclée
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Tape, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Tape, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Tape, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Color, Giclée
Artist Comments
Part of artist Terri Bell's Geometria Grid series. This piece incorporates geometric shapes into organic arrangements. The painting's color palette emphasizes...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Latex, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Ceramic, Glaze, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This abstract painting epitomizes summer mornings," says artist Terri Bell. "My favorite thing to do is spend time outside with coffee and my Yorkies while t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Fabric
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plexiglass, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A conceptual collage illustrating binary star movement. Part of John's newest series of mixed media works meticulously hand cut from vintage paper and stitche...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Color, Giclée
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic Polymer, Found Objects, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A whimsical abstract with bright circular details on a background of tonal green. "An effervescent abstract that conjures blowing bubbles, balloons, or fizzin...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Watercolor, Aquatint
Artist Comments
A colorful modern abstract incorporating a rich mix of blues and greens accented with warm red, peach, and yellow. "This piece is pure geometric abstraction that incorporates an organic linear quality," says artist Terri Bell...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A modern abstract painting defined by a pleasing grid structure and cool colors overlaid with warm tones. "This piece is pure geometric abstraction that incor...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Color, Giclée
Artist Comments
In a continuing exploration of artist Julie Weaverling's love of blue, she started this painting with experimentation and developed the modernist abstraction th...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Thoughtfully assembling different elements, artist John Gardner creates a backdrop of turquoise, converging all his components in the middle. A grid creates ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Part of artist Janet Hamilton's signature series exploring geometric lines and color grids. "The paint was applied using knives and carefully placed to create this bold and textured abstract," says Janet. The modernist design explores a rich range of blues interspersed with white on a black background, with mosaic-like accents at irregular intervals.
About the Artist
Janet Hamilton is an abstract expressionist who creates heavily-textured and multi-layered paintings. She is an Illinois-based artist whose studio space is a converted library complete with stained glass windows, a balcony and fireplace. Throughout her portfolio, she demonstrates a mastery over color choice; each palette creates a specific emotion and mood. She builds the texture of her painting with many layers to reflect the emotional depth of her passion-filled process.
Words that describe this painting: abstract, geometric, lines, stripes, textured, modern, abstract, non-representational, modern , mixed media artwork, blue
Navy Stripes...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas, Plaster, Wax
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glass, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A conceptual, playful composition charting the brief and dramatic moment of an eclipse over the landscape. Part of John's newest ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Rich layers of blue, black, yellow, magenta and white create the feeling of a time-worn and well-used surface. "Exploration, experimentation, layering, mark-mak...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Pastel, Spray Paint, Newsprint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Wax, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digital...