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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Artist Comments
A mom and her three kids walk toward a gentle surf on a fun summer vacation. Artist John Jaster paints a vibrant heartwarming family portrait under the bright s...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Jeff Fleming describes his painting style as kinetic impressionism. In this piece, a beagle triumphantly retrieves a stick thrown into the ocean. Jeff started the piece with a pencil sketch on the canvas, then with gloved hands, he applied oil paint using his fingers. Details were later added using brushes. Once these layers of paint dried, he moved the piece to his studio floor. "At this point, I whisked paint in random but authoritative strokes - a speckling technique which replicates water splashing."
About the Artist
Artist Jeff Fleming uses fingerpainting to create exuberant portraits of dogs. Growing up in Southern California, Jeff was first introduced to fingerpainting in kindergarten. He painted through high school and college and won several art awards, including Best of Show in a city wide student competition. After graduating with a degree in journalism and advertising, he went to work as an art director. For the next 40 years, he created print, radio and television ads for a number of top agencies. "After retiring in 2019, the clouds of stress and pressure cleared and allowed me to set my creative energy free," says Jeff. He began developing new techniques focused on the excitement and energy of painting. Today, he uses a variety of methods and tools, including fingerpainting wearing nitrile gloves, traditional paint brushes, bamboo shish kebab sticks, kite string, spraypaint and splattering. While working, Jeff always listens to music, including Broadway musicals, dance music and rhythmic Hawaiian tunes.
Words that describe this painting: beagle, dog, pet, impressionism, Iris Scott...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Warren Keating displays an image of a man riding a bicycle from an aerial view. "This painting was inspired by an early morning cyclist traveling on a de...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"Whether it's fall, winter, spring, or summer it's always time for some colorful birch!" exclaims artist Lisa Elley. A stand of vivid birch trees glows in a b...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Engraving
Artist Comments
"There is that point when kids are looking grown but at the same time still look like the young kids that they are," muses artist Heather Foster. "This guy wa...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Engraving
Artist Comments
The last moments of daylight in a residential neighborhood. Woman walking her dog. Cool blues and purple in the landscape rest on a muted peach sky. Expressi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1980s Abstract More Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
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, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
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
Paper, Engraving
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
