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.
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Artist Comments
Found, reclaimed and resurrected- an abstract wood relief ;painting; in an assortment of soft and hard woods puzzled together within a salvaged antique window...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Rag Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint
1950s Abstract Mixed Media
Mosaic
Artist Comments
An overlapping heart pulses with vibrant pink, purple, and gold hues. Energetic lines and splashes enliven the piece, while polka dots and scribbled text lend...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A female figure burst with earthy tones and vibrancy. The combination of collage papers, acrylic glazes, and oil pastels infuses the piece with a playful abst...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gesso, Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Paint, Paper, Conté, Charcoal, India Ink, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, ...
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Wax, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Watercolor, Wood Panel, Color Pencil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Wood, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Encaustic, Digital
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Fiberglass, LED Light
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Acrylic Polymer
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paste, Ink, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Newsprint, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Glass, Mirror, Screen
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
PVC
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Enamel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Pen, Permanent Marker
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Lithograph, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Pastel, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Various materials and textures create depth in this modern abstract composition. Fabric, impasto, and corrugated cardboard form a layered, tactile surface. Co...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Graphite, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Oil Pastel, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic