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.
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Latex
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Latex, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Latex, 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
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
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
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
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 Lisa Elley displays the entryway of a welcoming building inspired by the architecture of quaint villages in Italy. The light accentuates the rustic sto...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
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
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
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 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
2010s Abstract More Art
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
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
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
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
1970s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, 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
Waits River is a small village on Highway 25 southeast of Stowe, Vermont. "The church, buildings and barns presented an iconic view of New England...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s 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, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
1990s Abstract More Art
Tapestry
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Fabric, Silk, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
1970s Abstract More Art
Lithograph, Color
Artist Comments
"The artwork is from my cityscapes of Paris," shares artist Suren Nersisyan. "I love the bridges of this city connecting the banks of the Seine river. The sof...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1970s Abstract More Art
Screen, Color
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero paints an emerald pool abundant with blooming water lilies. "I am fascinated by the three-fold nature of looking at the water's surface," says Onelio. He displays depth implied in the reflection of the sky, ripples, plants floating, and finally, the telltale signs of things just below the surface. Part of Onelio's ongoing series of paintings exploring bodies of water.
About the Artist
Artist Onelio Marrero paints impressionist city scenes of everyday life. He captures the romanticism of New York City, from the picturesque fountains in Central Park to a glistening city street on a rainy afternoon. He creates a sense of nostalgia and intimacy with his work, offering the feeling that you have visited this particular scene before. “Each play of light, each texture, and each movement of a figure can have a captivating effect on me,†says Onelio. He studied at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art where he mastered discerning color and values, giving his work a more spontaneous appearance. Onelio’s work is an appreciation for beauty in all of its greatest forms; nature, art, and people.
Words that describe this painting: water lily, lilies, Monet, pond, lake, lily pads, reflection, forest, flower, impressionism, water, plants, oilpaint, nature, impressionism, nature, oil painting, green
Pink Water...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Sally Adams shares a dreamlike view of a trail going through an autumnal forest. She draws inspiration from a reference phot...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist Rebecca Klementovich shares a colorful outlook on the beautiful Monhegan Island—one of her favorite places to paint off the coast of Maine. "Monhegan...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter
1970s Abstract More Art
Tapestry, Wool