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, Color
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Glitter, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Ink, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Fabric
2010s Abstract More Art
Gold
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Kip Decker paints an expressionist seascape showing sailboats with colorful masts by the harbor. The sails flutter along the wind as the race is about ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This colorful combination of irises and wildflowers was so inspiring to paint!" shares artist Oksana Johnson. "To make sure all the colors have the center st...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero paints a portion of a woodland river, referencing his favorite spot near his home. Combinations of robust strokes and palette knife appl...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Elizabeth Garat pictures a dramatic late afternoon sun in the summer. An impressionist landscape of California during the golden hour. Majestic purple mountains stand behind a golden glowing field. Sunlit trees shade cool lavenders in the foreground, displaying a balanced relationship between shadow and light...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
Artist Comments
A woman comfortably sits under a shaded porch on a sunny morning. Artist Onelio Marrero captures the scene from Angel of The Sea, a breakfast inn located at C...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Gold Leaf
20th Century Abstract More Art
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
In this painting, Pamela used a technique known as Contre-jour, where she backlit the figure. The strong light behind the young man creates a nice contrast be...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Silk
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
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero shows a rippling pond surrounded by golden autumnal colors. Part of his series that explores the glistening surfaces of ponds and lakes....
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
1980s Abstract More Art
Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Epoxy Resin, Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Wood
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Thomas demonstrates an impressionist scene of a couple having an intimate conversation on a lake-side bench. "I was on a bike ride around the town of Niagara and came back to them still being there," says Robert. The figures bathe in the light of the sunset...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Abstract More Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Fabric
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Paper
Artist Comments
Artist Nicole Lamothe creates a simple yet striking composition of velvety red roses in a clear glass vase. A single petal falls to the table, directing the e...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A couple engages in deep conversation over a glass of wine at a Parisian street cafe. "The light is what first caught my eye," says artist Faye Vander Veer...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Sunset along the coast. Dark crimson clouds float over the glowing blue water. In the foreground, the landscape radiates with yellow and red. Benjamin explain...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Silk
