Abstract Abstract Paintings
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 Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Board, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Gouache, Archival Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite
1970s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink, Gouache
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Linen
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Ink, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Enamel
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink, Gouache
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil
1970s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
This abstract painting features a light palette of peach and cream, complemented by areas of blue. Splashes of color add movement, guiding the eye across the ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper, Ballpoint Pen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Dye, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Oil Crayon, Rag Paper
Artist Comments
Artist Sheila Grabarsky demonstrates an abstraction of interlacing colors with hints of green, blue, and white peeping from the predominantly maroon, black, and mustard yellow background. A whimsical portrayal of ever-changing moods. Sheila incorporates dried acrylic skins within the multilayered composition, creating textures, depth, and history. The expressive gestural strokes depict a sense of sinuous motion.
About the Artist
Sheila Grabarsky is known for her bold, gestural nature scenes. Her fluid paintings have been compared to those of Vasily Kandinsky...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1940s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
1940s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
1970s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Resin, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Graphite
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Oil
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Enamel