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.
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2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Plaster
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
Artist Comments
Bright neon green and red patches emerge from the deep blues, violets, and blacks. Although the composition appears complex with its colors and shapes, the ti...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Adhesive, Oil
Artist Comments
An assortment of papers, gold leaf, and various materials form a vibrant composition centered on themes of love. The intricate details enrich the narrative, r...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Etching, Aquatint, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Margriet Hogue expresses an abstract composition in different shades of blue. She layers paper for the base and paints ov...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
This geometric abstract conveys artist Terri Bell's feelings about witnessing nature's daily progression of tender new growth. It is a bright and harmonious a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wax Crayon, Sumi Ink, Archival Paper, Graphite
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wool, Yarn
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Magazine Paper, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Mixed Media, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Pastel, Ink
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Handmade Paper, Monoprint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Color Pencil, Thread, Ink, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Panel, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gesso, Wax
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Silk
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Glass, Mirror, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache
Artist Comments
A pink peony stands out against a black square, surrounded by pastel colors and abstract forms. Checkerboard patterns and dynamic brushstrokes convey a sense of movement and contrast. Artist Dafni Milan...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Encaustic, Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil