Abstract Figurative 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.
20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Sharon Sieben presents a strong portrait of a woman in bright yellow, orange, and teal with defining black strokes. "It takes time to make a commitment,"...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1970s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Fabric, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
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 Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1980s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Fabric, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Pigment
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Fabric, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Fabric, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
In this painting, artist Onelio Marrero ventures into the private world of a young woman carefully applying makeup. "The interior setting is dark and yet it f...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"It's all about the subject and the light," says artist Faye Vander Veer, when asked about her inspiration for this painting. "I saw this young girl talking o...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
An expressionist portrait of a woman set in a deep tonal space. Her features are kept anonymous as she moves forward toward the cool, clear light. The piece i...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Pigment
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A lone figure stands to the right of the composition, complemented by an abstract cascade of greens, reddish-orange, purple and blue. Her face and torso delicat...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
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 Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Pigment
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
One of artist Onelio Marrero's close neighbors is a master at the art of Bonsai. "When spring begins, my neighbor, Mark, goes about placing his potted plants ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Ink, Acrylic, Gouache
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Found Objects, Acrylic, Asphaltum, Panel, Wood Panel, Magazine Paper, Ne...
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
"This woman is expressing herself and asking for attention with her red gloves," says artist Diana Rosa. "I used black lines to define...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic