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.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Glitter, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Glitter, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Polyester, Oil, Acrylic, Mesh
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paint, Paper, Conté, Charcoal, Cardboard, India Ink, Newsprint, Acrylic,...
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Rag Paper, Color, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digital...
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
Tiffany says she was inspired by the mystery and unifying beauty of the night. "In this painting, darkness is presented as an immersive experience," she expla...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Panel, Wood Panel, Paper
Artist Comments
An expressionist view of a raven among dense green foliage. Artist Scott Dykema says he intentionally left the painting ambiguous as to whether the bird is la...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Silk, Sumi Ink, Pigment, Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist Scott Dykema created this painting while staying in the mountains in New Mexico. "The work started as an abstraction," explains Scott. "The skull was added over the abstract painting, and I chose the skull of an impala. The original title was "The Most Tame Impala...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Linocut
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Wax, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, India Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Lacquer, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Lacquer, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Pastel, Encaustic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Polyester, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Gouache, Mesh
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Wood Panel, Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Linen, Mixed Media, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Wood Panel, Resin
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media