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
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Silver
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Tempera
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Ink, Oil, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gold, Gold Leaf
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
1950s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Charcoal, Oil Crayon, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor
Artist Comments
A defined portrait of a man in painterly strokes by artist Sharon Sieben. His gaze holds profound contemplation with creased brows low on his forehead. "He is...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Ink, Oil, Spray Paint, Gouache
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Cardboard, Gouache
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Acrylic, Board
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Cardboard
1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
"This painting is another composition that depicts a group of figures with graceful and fluid movements," says artist Nancy Hughes Miller. They sway their hips in unison with bare feet in light tiptoes. Their dresses glow with intricate floral adornments.
About the Artist
Romanian-born painter Diana Chelaru’s paintings are colorful and contemporary interpretations of human emotion. For Diana, art is a means of communication. “It is how I express my thoughts, hopes, regrets and joys,†she says. Though she gets great pleasure from applying paint to canvas, it is the expression of emotions that she finds to be most important. Diana’s style is influenced by Byzantine mosaics as well as Gustav Klimt’s subject matter and use of decorative patterns within his compositions. Each artwork is created intuitively, resulting in paintings that speak to the soul.
Words that describe this painting: dance, music, figurative, figure, expressionism, movement, motion, wind...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Paper, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Pencil, Paper, Ink
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
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 Figurative Paintings
Oil
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 Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
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 Figurative Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 19th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic