Abstract 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.
1950s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
1970s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1990s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Watercolor, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Warm clouds of muted cream and brown drift across the upper portion of a dark and moody background. A deep, black section at the bottom creates a strong horizon...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1940s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil, Tempera
1990s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero paints an emerald pool abundant with blooming water lilies. "I am fascinated by the three-fold nature of looking at the water's surface," says Onelio. He displays depth implied in the reflection of the sky, ripples, plants floating, and finally, the telltale signs of things just below the surface. Part of Onelio's ongoing series of paintings exploring bodies of water.
About the Artist
Artist Onelio Marrero paints impressionist city scenes of everyday life. He captures the romanticism of New York City, from the picturesque fountains in Central Park to a glistening city street on a rainy afternoon. He creates a sense of nostalgia and intimacy with his work, offering the feeling that you have visited this particular scene before. “Each play of light, each texture, and each movement of a figure can have a captivating effect on me,†says Onelio. He studied at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art where he mastered discerning color and values, giving his work a more spontaneous appearance. Onelio’s work is an appreciation for beauty in all of its greatest forms; nature, art, and people.
Words that describe this painting: water lily, lilies, Monet, pond, lake, lily pads, reflection, forest, flower, impressionism, water, plants, oilpaint, nature, impressionism, nature, oil painting, green
Pink Water...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Clay, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
1970s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1940s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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