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.
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Graphite
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Gouache, Mixed Media, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mulberry Paper, Pigment, Fabric, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Color Pencil, Graphite, Inkjet
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Mixed Media, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Resin, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic, Oil, Wax
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Digital Pigment, Resin, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
Artist Comments
An abstract cityscape by artist Terri Bell of tonal greens and accented with varying grids and patterns. Dots and circles are adding intricate details and whimsy. "It reminds me of a city skyline on a cool morning when the shadows are long," describes Terri. "It has the feel of a warm environment where everything is green and sophisticated."
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: abstract, geometric, squares, circles, modern, contemporary, skyline, city, cityscape, urban, metro, detailed, calming, sophisticated, abstract, mixed media artwork
Green Sky...
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
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Encaustic, Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Panel, Inkjet, Paint
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Panel
