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.
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Etching, Oil, Printer's Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Found Objects, Ink, Gouache, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Glitter, Acrylic, Archival Paper
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Thread, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Ink, Gouache, Archival Paper, Color Pencil, Watercolor, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Wood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Rice Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Giclée
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paper, Glue, Mixed Media, Oil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
Artist Comments
Circus Act is a mixed media painting on canvas. Various collaged papers were adhered to the canvas to create shape and form. Paint was applied layer after lay...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Watercolor, Gouache
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A modern organic abstract painting in various shades of muted teal. "This piece is a synthesis of various shapes, patterns, and techniques that weave together...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Paper, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Burlap, Cotton Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel, Acrylic Polymer, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Plywood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Panel, Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
Artist Comments
"He would strut into the bar trying to capture the eye of the women," says artist Darlene McElroy. "With his swagger, cool clothes, and sparkle, he played the odds." A playful cowboy portrait in Darlene's Cast of Characters series.
About the Artist
Darlene McElroy sees creating art as similar to reading Turkish coffee grounds. A story becomes revealed as one looks at the surface, texture and color. Her works use a variety of materials ranging from acrylic paints to photo transfers and collage. She currently lives in New Mexico and has been greatly influenced by the work of Robert Rauschenberg. She encourages viewers to search for their narrative interpretation when viewing a work.
Words that describe this painting: man, figurative, cowboy, western, happy, hat, face, mustache, expressionism, people, western, representational, mixed media artwork, yellow
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Lacquer, Pastel, Automotive Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Lacquer, Pastel, Automotive Paint, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Chalk, House Paint, Acrylic, Board, Laid Paper
Artist Comments
A vibrant multi-layered mixed media abstract in pink, black, and green embedded with an assortment of hand-printed papers and monoprints. “This piece was insp...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Watercolor, Wood Panel, Color Pencil, Graphite
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil