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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20th Century Abstract More Art
Wool
1970s Abstract More Art
Tapestry, Wool
2010s Abstract More Art
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Stainless Steel
Artist Comments
"Central Park in Manhattan is one of my favorite places to visit and I often find my inspirations there," shares artist Onelio Marrero. In this case, Onelio d...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Screen
2010s Abstract More Art
Wool, Cotton
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Sprawling fields in lush green and orange undulate in fluid brushwork. A lone barn rests on the left, set against a backdrop of billowing white clouds. "Just ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Fabric
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Linen, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil, Board
1970s Abstract More Art
Fabric, Textile, Cotton, Thread
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, 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
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
1980s Abstract More Art
Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Screen
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Sunrise. Colored clouds recede into space, dominating this painting looking upriver. This painting is done in oil on stretched canvas. It is sealed with wax...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Nancy Merkle captures a big open western sky over a grassy prairie. Large, fluffy clouds sweep up to the heavens, reflecting the pastel colors of the s...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
20th Century Abstract More Art
Wool, Mixed Media
1990s Abstract More Art
Porcelain, Mixed Media, Screen
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Screen
2010s Abstract More Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract More Art
Textile
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract More Art
Metal
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Cotton, Polyester
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist David Forks depicts a warm and sunny meadow filled with wildflowers, cacti, and trees from the northeastern region of San Antonio, Texas. "May finds fi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1970s Abstract More Art
Tapestry
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Linen, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Fabric, Silk, Wood
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
2010s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic