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
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wool
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax Crayon, Sumi Ink, India Ink, Encaustic, Archival Paper, Rice Paper, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Sumi Ink, Archival Paper, Graphite, Wax Crayon
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paper, Acrylic, Inkjet
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
1950s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist Nava Lundy paints a glimmering seascape glowing in the last rays of the day. "Have you ever been so moved by the vivid colors of a sunset that almost doesn’t seem real?" asks Nava. She presents a beautiful and dreamlike display of calming shades of pink, magenta, blue, and yellow dancing in the sky. The shimmering colors in thick impasto create a sense of motion and make the piece come alive.
About the Artist
Nava’s romantic and heavily textured impressionist paintings radiate delicate, feminine charm. She focuses on creating depth and dimension with the layers of impasto she applies with a palette knife. This textural element blurs and abstracts the composition, conveying a notion of gentle, bleary-eyed beauty. Nava preps each canvas with a gold wash to make her paintings glimmer with luscious warmth. She works from her home in Florida, amid the chaos of children and canines, and finds peace painting in silence.
Words that describe this painting: sunset, beach...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment, Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax Crayon, India Ink, Encaustic, Archival Paper, Rice Paper, Pen, Color...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Board
Artist Comments
"I've always been fascinated by what people see in my paintings," says artist Patrick O'Boyle. Through collage techniques and expressive paintwork, he demonstra...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Laid Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Laid Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Panel, Pigment, Linen, Acrylic, Pencil
Artist Comments
Artist Terri Bell exhibits a loosely constructed tactile abstract with tight linear work. "This detailed work is peaceful and subtle," states Terri. The mixed-m...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax Crayon, India Ink, Encaustic, Archival Paper, Rice Paper, Pen, Color...
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Canvas
Artist Comments
Artist Linda Shaffer presents a lily pond in nine individual monoprints that can be freely arranged in various patterns. An assortm...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Monoprint, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Crayon, Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Joe Giuffrida paints a scenic view of Charles Bridge extending the Vltava River. The bridge's archways provide the energy o...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax Crayon, India Ink, Encaustic, Archival Paper, Rice Paper, Pen, Color...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Monoprint, Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Watercolor, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Rice Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment