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
Artist Joanie Ford created this painting from her references of Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona. "I included the springtime trees from my imagination to add...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
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
Artist Comments
Inspired by her memories of Amsterdam, artist Oksana Johnson offers this soft, impressionist view of one of the city's many waterways. "I remember it as a hap...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Metal, Steel
1960s Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"Every spring I get inspired by spectacular blooming magnolias," shares artist Oksana Johnson. "This time, I arranged contrasting white and dark maroon blosso...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Wood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Linen, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"I used firm and thick closed lines to symbolize the boundaries that people set in order to curb their indulgent tendencies," says artist Shyun Song. A box wi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"This piece is inspired by a musical keyboard representing harmony," explains artist Shyun Song. A delicate seam between sound and visual imagery, Shyun picks...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Part of artist Naoko Paluszak's signature series Who Are These Angels. A diaphanous figure appears to be swaying on her feet. Focused light shimmers on her wh...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"This dramatic image of a winged figure creates a brightly colored yet soft composition that fills the room with warmth," shares artist Gary Leonard. Inspired by the beauty of wings, Gary says it was a challenge to render them in a soft flowing manner with the model. "The warm color palette creates an inviting and peaceful feeling," he adds.
About the Artist
Through composition, color, texture and more, Gary Leonard celebrates beauty. His works start with the subject, but then he lets the work evolve into a more complex composition. Oftentimes, he enjoys merging figures with abstract images and varying textures. He hopes that his works will leave the viewer with a sense of warmth and peace. When he's not making art, he enjoys listening to music and learning how to play the piano.
Words that describe this painting: figure, fantasy, peaceful, wings, figurative, ethereal, face, flying, angel, expressionism, fantasy, people, representational, oil painting, yellow
The Phoenix...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"A New Kingdom was created through the idea of coming and going, moving through new thresholds, from one paradise to the next," exp...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Linen, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"The inland hill country of Northern California is ideal for raising and riding horses," says artist Catherine McCargar. "This is my impression of a scene at a local ranch that captures both an up-close view of iconic beaver-tail cactus, and a glimpse of the surrounding rolling and distant hills." Catherine infused the scene with bright midday sun and the quiet, welcoming atmosphere of the landscape.
About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern California. While she is well-versed in a range of media, her preferred medium for painting is watercolor. The fluidity of the paint allows her to capture the muted undertones and the fleeting light found in the natural world. While the backgrounds of her paintings are impressionistic, the foregrounds of her paintings are often highly detailed, showcasing her technical mastery over her medium.
Words that describe this painting: landscape, hills, plants, cactus, ranch, mountains, nature, country, impressionism, Northern California, prickly pear, western, impressionism, nature, western, representational, acrylic painting, green
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A modernist portrait combining a realistic face and an abstract figure. Artist Ryan Pickart uses negative space to explore how the...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Shyun Song explains of her clean, minimalist oil paintings, "As an intense observer, I am interested in mythology and psychology. Whenever I come acros...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1960s Abstract More Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
"The fall colors of the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado are rich with earth tones," says artist Heather Foster. "One of my favorite road trips takes me t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Sherri Aldawood posed her model, Alana, in her backyard garden on a warm summer day. She positioned in her the shade of dense green plants and glowing ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
Artist Comments
Claudia Verciani painted this impressionist scene after seeing fishing boats in Brazil.
About the Artist
Inspired by the great Impressionist painters, Claudia uses paint emotionally to depict the beauty of life. She is most inspired by light, and as such, tends to paint en plein air frequently. Claudia strives to capture singular, transient moments in time in which the contrast between light and dark values are striking. She presents a body of work that conveys traditionally Impressionist influences across varying choices of subject matter.
Words that describe this painting: impressionism, boats, seascape, harbor, impressionism, seascape, representational, oil painting, blue
Three Amigos...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Deep red squares, framed by crisp turquoise lines, form a precise grid. A single white bar at the top disrupts the uniformity, hinting at a breakthrough. Arti...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper
Artist Comments
This piece was inspired by the vibrant cheerful colors. Metallic and interference colors were used to create a vibrant effect. This piece is on gallery wrapped canvas and the painting continues around the sides. It comes varnished and ready to hang.
About the Artist
Courtney Jacobs...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink
Artist Comments
Naoko says that when she came upon this scene, the willow tree - with its leaves turned yellow - looked like a huge sweet candied ginger. "Warm and transparen...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Colorful autumn grasses light up this mountain hillside. Part of Nancy's signature series of nature scenes. She spends a lot of tim...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A sophisticated, dreamlike view of divergent paths one can take. The middle path appearing as a painting within a painting...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Building up many layers of color in oil paint and cold wax medium, Valerie then used scrapers to reveal the tree trunks in an abstract landscape. Warm orange and yellow trees standing in front of a cool blue and green background. Heavy texture complements the expressionist palette. The piece is part of a series of three works. Although Valerie did not create them as triptych, the three hang well close together.
About the Artist
Valerie Berkely uses her finger tips as brushes to create her abstract paintings. For Valerie, the art is all about the process, the paint, her mood, and the moment. She admires the artist Wolf Kahn, who once said, “the picture is the conclusion of an experiment in which the hint of an image becomes actuality." Like Kahn, Valerie’s paintings combine pictorial landscapes with painterly abstraction. The vibrant primary colors capture the hues of the sun rising and setting, and the texture of her fingers across the surface divides sea, land, and sky. There is something very dreamy about these works, exemplified by their color, texture, and atmospheric quality. Valerie’s first “art epiphany” was seeing Seurat's La Grande Jatte at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Bowled me over! I actually fell down. And I knew I was to become a painter.”
Words that describe this painting: woods, forest, trees, nature, expressionism, nature, non-representational, oil painting, blue
Bare Trees...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Suzanne revisited a site and theme found in a previous work, "Solar Event over Marsh and Fen." However, she changed the tone of this painting to reflect the c...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting is about combining realism, abstraction, color, spontaneity - all of the things that I think make for an exciting and engaging piece of art.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Valerie Berkely looks for stories in her travels as inspiration for her abstracted landscapes. She says of this calm scene, Just offshore there lies a slip of land along the lake known as The Point...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
This piece is one of two images of Metamorphosis. This one is the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. The second painting, Metamorphosis I, is th...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This is a distant view of the hoodoos in Valley of the Gods in Utah. The glowing sunset light and long shadows as I prepared to ca...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
The intuitive nature of my personality flows over into my art practice. It is essential for me to paint without reference materials or a preconceived outcome. Art has healed me and brought so much joy and peace into my life. I am fascinated with clouds, fog, mist, rays of sunlight, mountains, trees, sunsets, marshlands, rolling pastures, moody skies. Through my paintings, I seek to create images that bring peace and inspire hope.
About the Artist
Jenn Williamson expertly evokes the scenery of British Columbia in her soft abstract landscapes. She utilizes defining horizontal and vertical strokes, coupled with a skillful handling of color, to create significant depth in each piece. Her paintings, though abstracted, clearly convey the atmospheric attributes of the scene–rain, wind, clouds, fog. Jenn’s muted color palette transports the viewer to the Canadian west coast...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
I was inspired by the rich colors and beauty of Balboa Park, in San Diego CA.
About the Artist
Inspired by the great Impressionist painters, Claudi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Inspired by spring gardens in Southern California.
About the Artist
Inspired by the great Impressionist painters, Claudia uses paint emotionally to...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A live model was the inspiration for this painting. Feeling moved by her pose, I started with a basic line drawing using charcoal. I...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The dynamic duet of yin and yang makes everything happen. The white space represents all kinds of possibilities.
About the Artist
Painting is not m...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting is on gallery wrapped canvas with white edges. It comes ready to hang.
About the Artist
Painting is not merely an aesthetic endeavor ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1960s Abstract More Art
Oak
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Dye
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Egg Tempera, Gouache
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Marble
2010s Abstract More Art
Glass
2010s Abstract More Art
Metal, Brass, Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Silver
2010s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Epoxy Resin, Wood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Textile, Felt
2010s Abstract More Art
Epoxy Resin, Plywood, Acrylic