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
Glue, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
House Paint, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Oil Pastel, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Postcard, Pen, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Wax, Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Orange swatches create a structure at the center of the composition. On top is a gray orb with a beam shooting from its center. Splatters of blue and black pain...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Wax, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Porcelain, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Plastic, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Brass
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mirror, Film
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Steel
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Crayon, Oil
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Wood, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gesso, Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Polyurethane
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Paper, Acrylic, Gouache, Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Iron
Artist Comments
Fiery orange and warm light burst against a cool blue background. Dark, branching lines stretch like twisted trees while a soft orb of light hovers on the left....
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Screen, Handmade Paper
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Etching, Oil, Printer's Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic, Mulberry Paper
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mirror, Film
Artist Comments
Acrobats and circus performers with their lively gestures and colorful outfits fascinate artist Patrick O’Boyle. Through simple shapes, this painting depicts ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1950s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Ceramic, Porcelain, Screen, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Archival Paper, Pen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
House Paint, Acrylic, Permanent Marker, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Fabric
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Inspired by abstracted nature, this artwork combines rain-like marks with organic shapes to form a structured composition. Layered papers and subtle neutral w...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil





