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.
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Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero enjoys hiking the many trails near his home. This particular painting derives from one of those hikes as he explored one of several mora...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"When starting a work the most overlooked detail is the size of the canvas," says artist Benjamin Thomas. He explains why the size of his canvases has recentl...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Valerie Berkely presents a fiery sunset above thick silhouetted trees. The warm rays of the sun brighten the landscape with cooling hues of violet spreading across the forest floor. With her finger painting technique, Valerie uses transparent oils on top of gold iridescent acrylic textures creating a luminescent glow. It results in a captivating image with a gentle flow of movement.
About the Artist
Valerie Berkely uses her finger tips as brushes to create her abstract paintings. For Valerie, the art is all about the process, the paint, her mood, and the moment. She admires the artist Wolf Kahn, who once said, “the picture is the conclusion of an experiment in which the hint of an image becomes actuality." Like Kahn, Valerie’s paintings combine pictorial landscapes with painterly abstraction. The vibrant primary colors capture the hues of the sun rising and setting, and the texture of her fingers across the surface divides sea, land, and sky. There is something very dreamy about these works, exemplified by their color, texture, and atmospheric quality. Valerie’s first “art epiphany†was seeing Seurat's La Grande Jatte at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Bowled me over! I actually fell down. And I knew I was to become a painter.â€
Words that describe this painting: small, trees, sunlight, sun, sunset, oilpaint, nature, forest, impressionism, etching, impressionism, nature, oil painting, purple
Golden Glow...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Part of a series inspired by Colette's journey through the french countryside. An abstracted foreground gives way to a small village scene, with the town chur...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Afternoon shadows stretch across the forest floor, casting deep greens against the golden yellow, orange and umber autumn landscape. Part of Nancy's signature...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Clay, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Fluid forms suggest a bird-like image soaring above the earth. Amidst the flat white space, the red and black cells impart a feeling of spontaneity and moveme...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Building up many layers of color in oil paint and cold wax medium, Valerie then used scrapers to reveal the tree trunks in an abstract landscape. Warm orange and yellow trees standing in front of a cool blue and green background. Heavy texture complements the expressionist palette. The piece is part of a series of three works. Although Valerie did not create them as triptych, the three hang well close together.
About the Artist
Valerie Berkely uses her finger tips as brushes to create her abstract paintings. For Valerie, the art is all about the process, the paint, her mood, and the moment. She admires the artist Wolf Kahn, who once said, “the picture is the conclusion of an experiment in which the hint of an image becomes actuality." Like Kahn, Valerie’s paintings combine pictorial landscapes with painterly abstraction. The vibrant primary colors capture the hues of the sun rising and setting, and the texture of her fingers across the surface divides sea, land, and sky. There is something very dreamy about these works, exemplified by their color, texture, and atmospheric quality. Valerie’s first “art epiphany” was seeing Seurat's La Grande Jatte at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Bowled me over! I actually fell down. And I knew I was to become a painter.”
Words that describe this painting: woods, forest, trees, nature, expressionism, nature, non-representational, oil painting, blue
Bare Trees...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Dots and dashes depict an abstract cosmic scene. A radiant celestial body bursts with orange rays that curve into a wave-like pattern. The vibrant colors and ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
House Paint
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Oil
Artist Comments
Broad strokes of paint depict the spray of the Pacific Ocean. The gritty texture reminisces the sandy beaches, where the water meets dry land. The artwork's i...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Emulsion, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, Lithograph, Monop...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Board, Encaustic, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Paste, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Bronze
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Paper, Pen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Warm fall tones meet the cool serenity of winter, capturing the fleeting beauty of a sudden snowfall. The composition depicts the delicate transition between ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
It is a quiet evening, reflecting the calm of the day. Soft shades of blue and gray create a serene, expansive landscape. Clouds diffuse the light as darkness...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Linen, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Artist Comments
The artwork captures autumn's gentle yet powerful spirit, with sweeping colors and layered textures that evoke shifting skies and vibrant fall foliage. Deep r...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by a beautiful winter scene. Western mountains spotted with evergreen trees and banks of snow depict a ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Greens, blues, and earthy browns form an ethereal, atmospheric piece. Created in response to the question, "What if?", the artwork explores hues, composition,...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil