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.
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Handmade Paper, Linocut
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Board
Artist Comments
Abstract figures fill the composition and move deeper into the scene. They suggest that spirituality is not only a personal journey but also a shared connection...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Steel, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Permanent Marker
2010s 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, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Silk, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Enamel
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Color
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Monoprint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Canvas, Encaustic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Plaster, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic
Artist Comments
A collage of papers, screen printer ink, and acrylic paint capture the land and seascapes of Acadia National Park. Artist Tim Engelhardt took inspiration from t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Chalk, Tempera
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Lacquer, India Ink, Acrylic, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Rich textures and warm, layered colors capture the quiet longing of winter. The thin coats of paint create glowing fields that evoke depth and warmth. This abst...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Steel, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Pastel, Ink, Watercolor, Pen
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Chalk, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media