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.
Find original abstract paintings, sculptures, prints and other art on 1stDibs.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
1950s Abstract More Art
Postcard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Linen, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Steel, Metal
1960s Abstract More Art
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Latex
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Ballpoint Pen
Artist Comments
In this painting, artist Doug Cosbie features small-scale American tobacco farms with their fields. Each has a curing shed that is attached to the main structure. "The atmosphere is humid after the rain, and the air has an overwhelming but delightfully sweet and pungent smell."
About the Artist
Artist Doug Cosbie presents the vibrancy found in nature with his impressionist, rural architecture centered artwork. Longing to create something that connects with people, Cosbie spent countless years perfecting how he portrays the world on canvas. Within his journey, he studied as an apprentice in the studios of Sam Black and Jack Shadbolt. As a plein air artist, Doug's studio is a portable pochade box...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
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
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
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Ceramic, Underglaze
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
1980s Abstract More Art
Gold, Bronze
2010s Abstract More Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Laid Paper, Magazine Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Linen, Oil
1980s Abstract More Art
Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Fabric, Stretcher Bars
2010s Abstract More Art
Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood
1980s Abstract More Art
Silver, Brass
2010s Abstract More Art
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Panel, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
More and more I love to experiment with abstraction. It's amazing how realism with some abstraction somehow looks more true than when rendered using just real...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paint, Paper, Oil Crayon, Mixed Media, Wax
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
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
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Fabric
Artist Comments
This painting is part of Suren Nersisyan's series of California landscapes focusing on the nature and stunning light around Los Angeles. He draws inspiration ...
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
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
20th Century Abstract More Art
Paper, Offset
20th Century Abstract More Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media





