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.
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Charcoal, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Paint
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
Artist Comments
Relaxed and contemplative, a woman sits reclined with both legs tucked under. Artist Gail Ragains used broad strokes of color in a harmonious combination of t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil Crayon, Oil, Board
Artist Comments
"Bright sun, hot sand, ocean breezes, and lots of people enjoying themselves at the beach," artist John Jaster says of this inviting scene. Capturing the play...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Masonite
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Encaustic, Oil, Board, Tissue Paper
1980s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Enamel
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
1990s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jerry Salinas observes many people in cafes. "There are those who are socializing and others who come alone," says Jerry. "Being in a crowded cafe but wanting to spend time alone either on your laptop or reading a good book is an easy thing to do while enjoying the time with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee." By highlighting the main subject with the glow of her laptop, the viewer's attention is first drawn to the left and then invited to survey the rest of the room.
About the Artist
Artist Jerry Salinas paints light-filled impressionist portraits of travelers in Europe who are enjoying art, food and culture. Jerry studied illustration and painting at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. After graduation, he went to work as a commercial illustrator for several advertising agencies, which he credits as keeping him in fine art. In the early 2000s, Jerry made a fortuitous move from Chicago to Phoenix. With the help and encouragement of his wife, he transitioned to a career as a full-time painter. Today Jerry works from a bright studio space with surrounding views of Phoenix Mountains Preserve. “You’re welcome to visit, but you may have to sit for a portrait,” he says with a smile. Jerry’s artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of the West in Scottsdale and in gallery shows throughout the United States with the Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society. When he’s not working, Jerry and his wife run a medical mission that brings doctors, nurses and volunteers to northern Mexico.
Words that describe this painting: cafe, coffee, winebar, nighttime, wine, alone, solo, study, coffeehouse, people, interior, cuisine, restaurant, laptop, computer, chairs, impressionism, people, cuisine, representational, oil painting, brown
Late Night Cafe...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Etching
Artist Comments
"The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan has an extensive collection of Roman ancestral portrait busts," states artist Onelio Marrero. "Many art students us...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Wood
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Paper, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A young girl sits at a park on a late summer's day in August, lost in a story of a compelling book. The strong afternoon sunlight highlights her hair and back. "I saw this girl sitting by the reflecting pool in Washington, DC", shares artist Faye Vander Veer. "I wanted the painting to be about her, so I obscured surrounding details and kept the brushwork loose. What was her story, what was she reading?”
About the Artist
Artist Faye Vander Veer seeks out moments with engaging narratives and captures them with an impressionist style. She describes herself as an observer of people living their day-to-day lives. Her goal is to offer viewers a look into her sensory memory while also prompting the beginning of a story. Faye always keeps her camera by her side, ready to capture reference material. "For me, each painting is an opportunity to explore my emotional reactions to the color and light I observe," says Faye. She enjoys being in her glass-walled studio surrounded by nature to inspire her creative process. When she is not putting paint on canvas, Faye can be found in nature, journaling or writing poetry. Her artwork has been showcased in both American Art Collector and Art of the West magazines.
Words that describe this painting: figure, figurative, female, woman, girl, impressionism, impressionist, water, book, Manet, Degas, people, park, book, hair, impressionism, people, oil painting, brown
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1930s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil