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.
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Plastic, Wood, Mixed Media, Screen
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Silk
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
Artist Yamilet Sempe presents a dragonfly in an abstract body of water. She regards the winged insect as a totem symbol of life. "In almost the whole world it...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Chalk, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"I've always been fascinated by what people see in my paintings," says artist Patrick O'Boyle. He displays an implication of a man traveling the deep void of brilliant hues. Part of his series of colorful abstracts with hints of recognizable subject matter that leaves the viewer room to explore. He combines techniques of collage and painting to unfold a dreamy and entertaining narrative.
About the Artist
Patrick O'Boyle primarily paints in a studio, rarely using reference material other than his own thoughts and dreams. He always paints in a series of five - at the end of the fifth painting he revisits and reworks all of them until he feels they're complete. Using extra-long handles on his brushes, Patrick paints at a distance from the canvas so he can see the works evolve as a whole from the one color he starts with to the vibrant array at the end.
Words that describe this painting: abstract, colorful, bright, texture, mixed media, mark-making, collage, people, abstract, people, mixed media artwork, purple
The Traveler...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist Natalie George demonstrates a vibrant floral abstract with bright blushing hues. She paints larkspur flowers encased in expressive marks applied in bri...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Encaustic, Digital
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Crayon, Oil, Gouache, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Yarn, Wood, Paint, Adhesive, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Wax, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Mixed Media, Handmade Paper, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Clay, Polymer
Artist Comments
While camping in the Sonoran Desert, artist Crystal DiPietro beholds the sight of the mesas lighting up at dawn. Soft purple shadows cast over the foothills a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Chalk, Offset, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Graphite, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Newsprint, Ink
Artist Comments
A multi-layered mixed media abstract unfolds in teal, black, and red. In creating the piece, artist Linda Shaffer takes inspiration from her love of travel an...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Sandstone
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Pastel, Pencil, Graphite
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
PVC
1950s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
House Paint, Magazine Paper, Newsprint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Terri Bell expresses an emotional abstraction of fragmented feelings. These small recollections span universally and happen to every one of us. She pai...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Gouache, C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Crayon, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Silk, Wood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton, Acrylic, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, India Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Ink, Acrylic, Color Pencil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Paper