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
Artist Comments
Artist Lisa Carney paints an atmospheric abstract, layering pale blue and charcoal gray hues. She achieves an enchanting effect with varying shades and dramatic...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Gouache, Graphite
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A calm, rolling landscape features a path leading to a serene escape from a busy life. Subtle textures and color shifts enrich the surface, while layers of tr...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Resin, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings
India Ink, Watercolor, Laid Paper
Artist Comments
Drawing inspiration from her hiking trips, artist Crystal DiPietro paints scenes she personally witnesses. She depicts a hillside view of Saguaro cacti overlooking the canyon. "They stand like sentinels along the landscape," describes Crystal. She paints the mountains turning...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Resin, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Silicone, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Gouache
Artist Comments
"This painting looks like a place I saw in my dream," says artist Naoko Tadotsu. "It was a large forest, filled with bright warm light. Birds were singing mer...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Soft blues and misty grays evoke a dreamlike atmosphere. In this abstract scene, artist Jenn Williamson captures the essence of a tranquil landscape. The energe...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Paint, Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Inspired by a beautiful basin in northern New Mexico outside of Santa Fe. "A monsoonal storm passed through and left the ground wet," says artist Heather Fost...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Inspired by the fall foliage in New York, artist Colette Wirz Nauke offers a colorful view of the changing landscape. "I used bold brush strokes and movement,...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Paper
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This piece is inspired by the difficult traverse of a dramatic, jagged ridgeline," says artist Crystal DiPietro. A high vantage point offers an expansive view of veined mountains. The sun's rays glow golden on one side while cool shadows of purple fall between the deep crevices. "Despite its rugged appearance, the ridge seemed to have a harmonic rhythm."
About the Artist
Many artists work with the landscape, but Crystal DiPietro sees her works as different from most in the genre. "I tend not to see landscapes as soft and pretty, but as rugged, dramatic and colorful." Many of her works depict wild storms and moody sunsets. She spends a lot of time in remote spots and uses layers of color to create her compositions. Her work hovers between a brief impression of a scene and a pure dream. Crystal's landscapes of southern Utah seem to undulate and continuously change. What's interesting, though, is that these mountains and valleys seem to do the same thing in person. In these areas, the view changes constantly throughout the day as the light shifts, throwing shadows of faces, mazes and alien patterns across the cliff faces. Crystal impressively captures what's there, and what seems to be but isn't.
Words that describe this painting: ridge, ridgeline, mountains, desert, southwest, west, western, southwestern, viewpoint, impressionism, sunlight, shadow, oilpaint, landscape, impressionism, landscape, western, oil painting, yellow
The Brute...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Ocean waves crash in warm hues of red and yellow under a violet evening glow in this expressionist seascape by artist George Peebles. He conveys a calm and dr...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Clay, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Linen, Dye
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
