Abstract More Art
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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2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Latex, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Latex
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1980s Abstract More Art
Tapestry
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Ceramic, Underglaze
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
"This longhorn was located at a ranch in Southern Colorado," shares artist Heather Foster. "I am always amazed by longhorns because I expect them to be clumsy...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Joanie Ford depicts a few beachgoers enjoying a relaxing day out by the shore. Clouds provide a cool shadow from the sun's summer heat as a gentle bree...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Reflections on the water in Monet's pond at Giverny. Onelio spent some time there taking in the splendor of the setting. "Each view of the place was a paintin...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Nicole Lamothe says her focus in this soft, warm still life was the glowing sunlight streaming through her studio window. "I arranged the pair of yello...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"In this painting, I wanted to further my explorations of interiors in dramatic lighting and the look of folds on unmade beds," explains artist Onelio Marrero...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Nicole Lamothe presents a bundle of fresh petunias placed in a clear rounded vase. "The petunias flourish in the garden, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Faye Vander Veer depicts a cozy rainy evening in the city. "You can almost hear the sound of the tires as the traffic moves along the wet pavement," says Faye. Drizzly street scenes are among her favorite subjects to portray. She paints reflected headlights and other ambient lighting to give a feeling of warmth and calm.
About the Artist
Artist Faye Vander Veer seeks out moments with engaging narratives and captures them with an impressionist style. Her dramatic use of color, texture, light and shadow lend a glowing quality, creating an energy all their own. While using her own photographs as a general reference, it is her sensory memory of the event and her emotional reaction that is conveyed on the canvas, causing the viewer to be transported to another time and place. “Painting becomes a language I use to express my emotional response to what is before me and share my experience of the subject with others,“ says Faye.
Words that describe this painting: impressionism, cityscape, city, San Francisco, architecture, nocturne, rain, cars, pedestrians, buildings, lights, Mark League, street, road, facade, evening, cab, taxi, street light, oilpaint, reflection, travel, architecture, impressionism, travel, oil painting, blue
Evening Rain...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero spends much of his summers happily gardening and caring for his pond. There are also several others within walking distance from his hom...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Tatiana Iliina expresses a solemn woodland at sunrise. "The air is crisp and a cool breeze touches the hardwood trees," narrates Tatiana. The sun slowl...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Glitter, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Lisa Elley displays an impression of a breezy coastal seascape on a beautiful summer's day. She draws inspiration from one of her plein air painting tr...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Fabric, Silk, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Lisa Nielsen displays impressionist roses gleaming from the warmth of the sun. Plump blossoms spring from effervesce...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A thickly textured palette knife painting of an old saguaro cactus standing against a blooming spring desert backdrop. "This painting was inspired by the incredible Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California," shares artist Lisa Elley. "It's where the Colorado and Mojave Deserts collide with amazing vistas and dazzling flowers."
About the Artist
Working almost exclusively with a palette knife, Lisa Elley maneuvers her artistic blade with an uncanny fluidity. Why paint only with the knife? She says, "when I paint with a brush, which I do occasionally, I tend to focus on the detail. With a palette knife I can't focus on the detail too much, so my paintings are looser, and more gestural, with bigger sweeps and strokes." This technique is called wet-on-wet. And it seems to be quite popular, as she has been bestowed the title "Knife Queen" by her facebook fans. Fun fact: Lisa's high school art teacher told her to study harder at math, as a career in art was "impossible."
Words that describe this painting: desert, Mojave, flowers, floral, spring, cactus, sun, mountains, sky, landscape, California, Joshua Tree, impressionism, landscape, western, representational, oil painting, purple
Desert Bloom...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract More Art
Tapestry
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"The source of inspiration for this painting came as I was walking in Manhattan in the rain," says artist Onelio Marrero. "This street is based on 8th Avenue ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1970s Abstract More Art
Tapestry, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
20th Century Abstract More Art
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Brian McCarty depicts a quiet rural home behind a red barn. Surrounded by a field of grass and autumnal trees, a car sits on the winding dirt path. "Everyday life is caught in a moment," says Brian. "Arriving home, or getting ready to leave home. A lazy afternoon." Just the type of subject Brian loves to paint.
About the Artist
Artist Brian McCarty paints idyllic landscapes and bucolic architecture. “Growing up in rural New Jersey, I’ve always found old houses, barns, and the countryside interesting subjects,†says Brian. Influenced by his mom who was a self-taught artist and art teacher, she encouraged Brian to pursue anything artistic. After graduating from Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art and earning his BA in Art from Thomas Edison State College, he worked professionally as a graphic designer in New York for the largest publishing houses in the country. A career that spanned thirty-six years. Brian has done comedy and sketch writing with the Groundling Theater, and worked in a few major feature films as an actor. To begin his process, Brian takes photos of his references with an iPad, crops the images to his liking, and paints directly on his canvas with a quick oil wash. Recently returning to painting full time, he converted a room in his house into a working studio. “I get lots of natural light, and listen to music and podcasts while I paint.â€
Words that describe this painting: country, house, home, barn, farmhouse, farm life, country living, road, architecture, impressionism, autumn, oilpaint, architecture, impressionism, oil painting, green, brown
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Charcoal, Paper
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract More Art
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Linen, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
