Abstract Landscape 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.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas, Paint, Stretcher Bars
Artist Comments
Artist Lisa Elley displays an impression of a breezy coastal seascape on a beautiful summer's day. She draws inspiration from one of her plein air painting tr...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
This painting offers a moody, atmospheric view where land and sky seem to blur into one. Quick, expressive brushstrokes suggest movement across the scene, as ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
1990s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"For a few brief moments on the south rim, the morning sun lights up the canyon walls like neon while casting blue shadows into its depths," says artist Cryst...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Early 20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Watercolor, Rag Paper, Pencil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Paper
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A thickly textured palette knife painting of an old saguaro cactus standing against a blooming spring desert backdrop. "This painting was inspired by the incredible Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California," shares artist Lisa Elley. "It's where the Colorado and Mojave Deserts collide with amazing vistas and dazzling flowers."
About the Artist
Working almost exclusively with a palette knife, Lisa Elley maneuvers her artistic blade with an uncanny fluidity. Why paint only with the knife? She says, "when I paint with a brush, which I do occasionally, I tend to focus on the detail. With a palette knife I can't focus on the detail too much, so my paintings are looser, and more gestural, with bigger sweeps and strokes." This technique is called wet-on-wet. And it seems to be quite popular, as she has been bestowed the title "Knife Queen" by her facebook fans. Fun fact: Lisa's high school art teacher told her to study harder at math, as a career in art was "impossible."
Words that describe this painting: desert, Mojave, flowers, floral, spring, cactus, sun, mountains, sky, landscape, California, Joshua Tree, impressionism, landscape, western, representational, oil painting, purple
Desert Bloom...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
1980s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Masonite, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Paint, Paper
1920s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Tatiana Iliina expresses a solemn woodland at sunrise. "The air is crisp and a cool breeze touches the hardwood trees," narrates Tatiana. The sun slowl...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Lisa Elley created this glowing impressionist scene after a fall trip to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains and Yosemite National Park. "The quaking a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Watercolor, Rag Paper, Pencil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Linen, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Masonite, Oil
1980s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Paper, Ink, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Paper
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A blend of muted greens, grays, and earth tones evokes a moody landscape. The composition suggests a horizon where the sky meets a textured field. Bold brushstrokes and layered colors create a sense of depth and movement, capturing the essence of a landscape in transition. Hints of blue and orange add contrast and intrigue.
About the Artist
Artist Ronda Waiksnis captures nature's visceral beauty in her abstract and expressionist works. Embracing the capriciousness of the creative process, she allows her intuition to guide her, resulting in pieces that feel both organic and unrefined. "My paintings have been found, not built," says Ronda. Rarely using brushes, she applies layers of paint with large palette knives or her fingers, emphasizing the importance of balancing creative abandon and physical control. Ronda operates in a gloriously messy studio, a standalone building behind her house, with a powerful sound system that keeps the vibe carefree and intense. When she's not creating art, Ronda enjoys spending time with her loved ones, playing with her dogs, and savoring a glass of wine.
Words that describe this painting: expressive, muted, soft, gestural, stream...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Archival Paper, Oil Crayon, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
