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.
1940s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Polyester, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Gouache, Mesh
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Metal
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Metal, Bronze
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
This piece reimagines autumn in a forest with expressive strokes and shapes, leaning toward an abstract interpretation. Bold colors convey the vibrant spirit ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Working from memory, artist Onelio Marrero paints a full moon in the early morning hours over the salt marshes in coastal New Jersey. The silvery glow in the early morning hours reflects dreamily onto still waters. "These wetlands are profoundly affected by the tides," says Onelio. "The channels that meander throughout the marshes invite the viewer to visually follow the bends and turns." There is a timeless and mysterious quality in these natural elements and Onelio's memory of the scene is well served in the execution of this painting.
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: marsh, wetland, swamp, inlet, waterway, stream, river, grass, tree, cloud, moon, mist, morning, water, reflection, dawn, impressionism, oilpaint, panoramic, nature, impressionism, nature, oil painting, blue
Morning Moon and Cloud...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Watercolor, Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Gouache, Archival Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Oil Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Ink
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"The artwork is from my cityscapes of Paris," shares artist Suren Nersisyan. "I love the bridges of this city connecting the banks of the Seine river. The sof...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
1930s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Paintings
Gouache
Artist Comments
Part of artist Onelio Marrero's ongoing series exploring scenes from the world of ballet. Two ballerinas prepare their costumes on stage during a rehearsal an...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Enamel
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil, Illustration Board
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Wood, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1940s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Raw Linen, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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