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
Artist Jodi Dann began a collage series after a delightful discovery in her backyard—a nest made of horse tail hair. The varied abstract elements, textures,...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Giclée
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Charcoal, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Graphite
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Wood, Found Objects, Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Encaustic, Oil, Board
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Sandstone, Metal
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Copper, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
Artist Keith Thomson illustrates an impressionist view of a winter evening in Tribeca. Amber lights glow in the background as peo...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
Part of Ryan's long-running series of portraits done in charcoal and oil paint on gold washed paper. Ryan enjoys pairing the fluidity and transparency of oil paint with the substance of charcoal. "Much like the ballet of the same name, "Giselle" combines dramatic patterns with stoic expression," says Ryan. The figure wears an abstract dress of dripping circles, her hair in modernist angles. She looks intensely at the viewer, her slender frame elongated by her strong pose.
About the Artist
Words that describe this painting: girl, ballet, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, modern, portrait, expressionism, people, fashion, representational, mixed media artwork, yellow
Giselle
Ryan Pickart...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Charcoal, Acrylic, Gouache
Artist Comments
Small organic squares and circles form a densely packed grid. Akin to city blocks, the shapes vary in size and alignment, creating a mesmerizing visual effect...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Adhesive, Magazine Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas
Artist Comments
Soothing waters meet the horizon. Layers of paint add a distinct depth to the scene, while simple strokes define the details. Artist Jennifer Hanson...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
Artist Comments
This contemporary abstract combines paint and paper collage to create a textured linear pattern in the lower portion of the artwork. The top section features ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Tempera
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gouache, Magazine Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Ceramic, Glaze, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Wood Panel
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Oil Crayon, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Set against a deep blue background, cut-outs of the sky, a tree, and the moon's surface are enclosed within a strip of paper and geometric-shaped thread. The ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Laid Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Canvas, Encaustic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Silk
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Spray Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Organic Material, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Wood Panel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Organic Material, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Color Pencil, House Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Oil, Graphite, Pigment
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Copper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Giclée
Artist Comments
A blue sphere with a red center hovers in the middle of the scene. It symbolizes a presence that communicates without words, the voice of awakening. A meditat...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Linocut, Mixed Media, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf