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.
Artist Comments
Heavy gestural strokes in black emerge between blocks of yellow, beige, and grey in this expressive abstract by artist Kris Haas. Splashes and drippings emulate...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist Kris Haas depicts an abstract image with vertical see-through columns and vigorous strokes in black and yellow. The piece cuts in sections with an even p...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Wood Panel, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
Part of artist Kris Haas' derivative and ongoing Disjointed Reality series. A translucent block of yellow falls in place onto the left overlapping layers of gra...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic, Pencil
1930s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Glue, Acrylic, Cardboard, Magazine Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Kris Haas depicts an abstract image with vigorous strokes and strong emotions. With colors of black, yellow, and beige, the piece cuts in sections where ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, India Ink, Wood, Plywood, Birch, Wood Panel
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, LED Light, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Charcoal, Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Glue, Acrylic, Cardboard, Magazine Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic, Wax
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glass, Wood, Board, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Vinyl
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
LED Light, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Foam, Mixed Media, Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Part of artist Terri Bell's grid series, this piece incorporates geometric shapes into organic arrangements. The painting's complex color palette and grid uni...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
LED Light, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Wood
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Newsprint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Sandstone
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Photographic Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Plywood, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Silk, Muslin, Wood, Washi Paper, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Magazine Paper, Wood, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Giclée
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Brass
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Foil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Polystyrene, Wood, Paper, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Artist Comments
"A handsome young man lost in a veiled dreamland," explains artist Darlene McElroy. "Memories of the past, fantasies of the future, and the smells of spring ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media