Abstract Still-life 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 Still-life Paintings
Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Abstract Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Cardboard, Canvas
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
Artist Comments
Abstract blue and white flowers intermingle with free-forming violet patterns, reminiscent of underwater life. Part of a series of small-scale works inspired ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This colorful combination of irises and wildflowers was so inspiring to paint!" shares artist Oksana Johnson. "To make sure all the colors have the center st...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
"Many types of phacelia are a welcome and colorful sight in the desert in spring," shares artist Crystal DiPietro. "In this piece, a large purple variety stan...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Ruth LaGue expresses an arrangement of two red poppies in a yellow ceramic vase. A lone petal falls onto the table's surface adding a dramatic touch. Ruth use...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Modern blue and white flowers sparkle among wave-like patterns flowing in the background. Part of a series of small-scale works inspired by the bright colors ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Paper
Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan paints a vibrant bouquet of yellow and pink roses surrounded by tropical foliage. Thick, textured brushstrokes and a deep violet backgr...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
I really love still life. Nothing helps me grow more as an artist than painting still life. It sits for one so patiently as you strive to capture it's image on your canvas. But it challenges me also. It's not easy to keep it from looking static and void of life. I think I was able to give this one some of the energy of light and color that it was patiently showing to me. A juicy harmony of fruit and flowers and deep cobalt blue glass...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
Artist Comments
An abstract garden scene with purple, blue, and white flowers dancing on a backdrop of fresh greens. Part of a series of small-scale works inspired by the bright colors and lively motifs of spring.
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: flowers, floral, patterns, abstract, garden, spring, expressionism, flora, acrylic painting, green
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
1980s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
20th Century Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Board
1940s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Canvas
Early 2000s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Paper
Artist Comments
Bold, expressive strokes present an abstract interpretation of a flower. Thick paint and dynamic application evoke a sense of vitality and spontaneity. Subtle h...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Bold, energetic brushwork shapes an abstract interpretation of a flower. Thick layers of paint convey spontaneity and life, while soft touches of blue add surpr...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
1950s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil