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.
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wool, Cotton
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Masonite, Oil
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Graphite
Artist Comments
This painting depicts an energetic dancer in full motion. The figure borders on abstraction, emphasized by muted grays that highlight splashes of lively orang...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
“This painting was inspired by love and gift-giving," says artist Linda Shaffer. "When we love someone we like to give them pre...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Board, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
I call this technique 'canvas mosaic' which I developed over the last nine years. The square shapes are cut and painted pieces of canvas fabric that I adhered to the stretched canvas. Initially inspired by digital pixels, but harkens back to traditional mosaic making. Cranes are one of symbolic creatures in Asia. Mysterious and always a little lonely in a beautiful way. I painted a dreamy crane with traditional Japanese Kimono patterns...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Alabaster, Sandstone
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Silk
Artist Comments
A vibrant mixed media painting in turquoise, blues, neutrals, and red, with hand-printed paper and original images embedded into the layers of paint. "This pa...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Plexiglass, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"As this title suggests there is a contest being waged here; propriety, sobriety, and chance have their respective roles to play," says artist Joey Korom. "Ca...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wool, Cotton, Wood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Monoprint, Paint, Glue, Rag...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Margriet Hogue paints a black tree over a lively collaged composition. Birds nest within its meager branches. Margriet affixes pages from various materials t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Pastel, Gouache
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Organic Material, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Digital Pigment
Artist Comments
Fields of color map out artist Terri Bell's colorful abstract piece. The composition combines grid-like structures and segments contrasting with organic shape...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Silk, Sumi Ink, Pigment, Archival Pigment
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Granite, Bronze
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paper, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Watercolor, Found Objects
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Enamel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Iron
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This modern abstract painting is an ode to the square," shares artist Terri Bell. Multi-colored squares outlined in black dance on top of a gray background, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Agata describes this atmospheric painting as the feeling of waking up early to the quiet delight of orange morning light and unexpected fog. She played with d...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Silk
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Oil
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Fabric, Oil
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Plastic, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Clay, Acrylic, Wood, Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
"This piece was inspired by the dramatic approach and climb up one of my favorite mountains in southern Utah," says artist Crystal DiPietro. Sharing her depic...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A face surfaces within the abstract expression of artist Sharon Sieben's striking contemporary portrait. Cold wax mixed with oil constitutes a compelling image of her model in a meditative state. Sharon reminds us that sometimes, especially after a busy day, a quiet moment is most welcomed. "The subject in this portrait would agree," says Sharon.
About the Artist
Sharon Sieben prefers working in a loose, fluid technique and finds inspiration in the most unexpected things. Her parents bought her a set of oil paints when she was ten years old and it sparked her love of art. She especially admires the work of Impressionist artists such as Paul Cezanne because of how they broke tradition. When she's not making art, she enjoys reading and playing classical guitar...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media, Tempera