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
Paper, Acrylic
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Metal, Bronze
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Glass
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Textile, Cotton
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Paper, Oil Crayon, Ink, Acrylic
1990s Abstract More Art
Ceramic, Porcelain, Mixed Media, Screen
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Canvas, Oil
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Fabric, Textile
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Paper, Acrylic
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Canvas, Color
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Canvas, Color
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Paper, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Porcelain
Artist Comments
In an ode to his favorite kayak spot near his home, artist Onelio Marrero presents a tranquil view of a forest river. He depicts the crisp fall temperature in ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Digital Pigment, Ink, Lithograph, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Porcelain
1960s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
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Canvas, Color
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Canvas, Oil
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Acrylic, Cardboard
1970s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Paper
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Felt Pen
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Working from memory, artist Onelio Marrero paints a full moon in the early morning hours over the salt marshes in coastal New Jersey. The silvery glow in the early morning hours reflects dreamily onto still waters. "These wetlands are profoundly affected by the tides," says Onelio. "The channels that meander throughout the marshes invite the viewer to visually follow the bends and turns." There is a timeless and mysterious quality in these natural elements and Onelio's memory of the scene is well served in the execution of this painting.
About the Artist
Onelio Marrero paints city scenes of everyday life. In an impressionistic style he captures the romanticism of New York City, the picturesque fountains in Central Park and the wet city streets after a rainy afternoon. His use of warm tones creates a sense of nostalgia and the feeling that you have visited or seen this particular scene before. Onelio will often paint from direct observation, or he will work from a combination of photographs and combine numerous sources into one piece. In this way his work combines reality with fantasy, creating a new story with each painting. His work captures an appreciation for beauty in all of its greatest forms; nature, art, and people.
Words that describe this painting: marsh, wetland, swamp, inlet, waterway, stream, river, grass, tree, cloud, moon, mist, morning, water, reflection, dawn, impressionism, oilpaint, panoramic, nature, impressionism, nature, oil painting, blue
Morning Moon and Cloud...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1970s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil, Fabric
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Fabric
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
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Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
1970s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
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Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
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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
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1970s Abstract More Art
Screen, Pencil
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Canvas, Pastel, Acrylic, Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Board
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Color
1990s Abstract More Art
Tapestry
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
1980s Abstract More Art
Gold, Bronze
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
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Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
