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.
Artist Comments
Artist George Peebles depicts a fiery haze of a sunset across a wet marshland. Tall and wavy leaf-covered silhouettes of trees appear in the distance while gr...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A small house proudly stands at the top of a grassy hill, warmed by the morning sunlight. "This painting is a typical motif of the family farms found througho...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Resin, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
Part of artist Onelio Marrero's latest series exploring the terrain and geology of the diverse northwest of New Jersey. "This painting was executed from several plein air oil studies," shares Onelio. He takes advantage of the rich textures and colors he encounters during his painting hikes. Using rich impasto and a skillful palette knife, Onelio works to capture the effect of the boulders diminishing in size as the stream meanders into the upper reaches of the space.
About the Artist
Onelio Marrero paints city scenes of everyday life. In an impressionistic style he captures the romanticism of New York City, the picturesque fountains in Central Park and the wet city streets after a rainy afternoon. His use of warm tones creates a sense of nostalgia and the feeling that you have visited or seen this particular scene before. Onelio will often paint from direct observation, or he will work from a combination of photographs and combine numerous sources into one piece. In this way his work combines reality with fantasy, creating a new story with each painting. His work captures an appreciation for beauty in all of its greatest forms; nature, art, and people.
Words that describe this painting: pool, stream, river, brook, rock, boulder, terrain, geology, woods, autumn, winter, tree, trees, hike, hiking, nature, plein air, oilpaint, nature, sunlight, impressionism, impressionism, nature, oil painting, blue
Rough Terrain Cool Water...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
I was inspired to create this piece after spending several days in the Henry Mountains in Utah. It was monsoon season and after some storms, the clouds were c...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Resin, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Gesso, Paint, Varnish, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Patrick Duffy demonstrates linear forms, initiating warped dimensions. "The Cosmos is central to my work, creating a dialogue between the imagination and the fundamentals of all things space," shares Patrick. He explores newly learned concepts and unique ways to visualize the cosmos through design. Within his creative process, shapes become symbols of time, guiding the eye and mind to think of dark solar windswept patterns that are balanced and engaging.
About the Artist
Artist Patrick Duffy creates multi-scaled abstract compositions that seek to realize patterns through process, form, and color. Growing up in the coastal town of Blue Hill, Maine, he started creating artwork very early. He explores time, space, theoretical, and science fiction themes, describing his works as translated visions of paradoxes. Patrick received his BFA from Pratt Institute in 2006, being part of many shows in New York, New England, and Houston, TX. Publications include The New York Times, “Things to See in the Hudson Valley†for the exhibition “Intricate Realities†at the Catskill Arts Society in 2016, as well as “Creating in Color†for Trouvé Magazine Volume 3 in 2015. Since 2019, Patrick has resided in Austin, Texas. He has worked with artists Takashi Murakami (Kai Kai...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero paints an impressionist scene of a man painting under a makeshift structure of fallen trees. The idyllic shelter shades him from the sun...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Linen
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A lovely group of waterlilies flourishing near a ripple of shallow water enchanted artist Onelio Marrero. He regards himself as an avid observer of nature. He...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting is part of artist Onelio Marrero's latest series exploring the terrain and geology of the hilly northwest of New Jersey. On his painting hikes, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Artist Comments
Artist George Peebles displays beautiful palms in a quiet place along the beach. He paints with an impressionistic approach, carefully portraying light and it...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Typical small old church in the Texas Hill Country. Easter time brings blankets of wildflowers throughout the Hill Country, and none more noteworthy than the bluebonnets. There is also some Indian paintbrush...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"My intention is to draw the viewer into the scene and create a sense of tranquility," shares artist Nancy Jadatz. Seawater meande...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"Free form shapes, thin lines, and blocks of color are juxtaposed to give this painting a contemporary feel," states artist Nancy Jadatz...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
In this sunny impressionist scene, artist Onelio Marrero captures his neighbor, Mark, who is a master in the art of Bonsai. "When spring begins, he goes about...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero painted this scene en plein air soon after a snow storm engulfed the woods in his area. Yellowing grass triumphantly emerges from the th...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Board
Artist Comments
Inspired by spring gardens in Southern California.
About the Artist
Inspired by the great Impressionist painters, Claudia uses paint emotionally to...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Elizabeth Garat presents an impressionist landscape of lavender fields. The piece recalls a warm day in July during the height of summer. Billowy clouds in pink and blue hues stretch the horizon in a beautiful display of reflected sunlight. She paints on location in the countryside of Provence, France.
About the Artist
Growing up in California and Colorado, Elizabeth spent much of her formative years outdoors. “Exposure to nature early on planted the seed of landscape painting in me,†she says. She enjoyed spending time on her grandfather’s sunny sheep ranch and going to the beach with her grandmother. Her grandmother also would bring her to art galleries in Laguna Beach, where she was first introduced to California Impressionism...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Inspired by her memories of Amsterdam, artist Oksana Johnson offers this soft, impressionist view of one of the city's many waterways. "I remember it as a hap...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1890s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A luminous view of a pond capturing the gentle ripple of the water. Slender blades of grass emerge, casting reflections on the surface. When asked about his p...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
I used my finger tips to apply many layers of translucent cool colors in oil and wax. There is a softly calm feeling to the quiet distance of the winter trees in the background while one sturdy pine comes forth. Hints of apricot and lavender glow from beneath misty layers. My choice in this color palette lends itself to any season's decor, inspired by Wolf Kahn. The edges of this piece are natural wood. This piece is wired to hang.
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: Impressionism, Wolf Kahn, transparent, translucent, layers, abstract landscape, oil, wax, finger painting, impressionism, landscape, representational, oil painting, purple
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil
1940s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"The Tutukaka Coast in New Zealand abounds with natural beauty," says artist John Jaster. Inspired by its tropical pale golden beaches, lush native forests, a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
Artist Sharon Sieben depicts the tall giants of the Sonoran Desert. Swift brushstrokes reveal the hot and arid landscape with steep dunes and gentle slopes. B...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings
India Ink, Watercolor, Laid Paper
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
It's my continuing love affair with the forest. Using contrast, I portray the rose of morning rising from the shadows.
About the Artist
Russian-born Tatiana Iliina lives in Montreal and has sold paintings to collectors all over the world. She works with both abstract and representational compositions, with many pieces falling somewhere in between. Some of Tatiana’s paintings could be interpreted as a landscape or a cityscape, or a non-representational articulation of color, giving the viewer the opportunity to make independent decisions about the work. Her long brushstrokes and painterly style are created using a palette knife, resulting in richly textured canvases. Working in a range of colors from muted grays to bold blues, vibrant purples, and glowing oranges, Tatiana’s portfolio reflects an array of moods while maintaining a focus on her iconic style.
Dawn to...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic