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.
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A cluster of butterflies beckons a young woman. Artist Sharon Sieben used graphite and acrylic paint to create this expressionistic portrait. With Sharon's th...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"No matter where they are, a flower is a flower!" says artist Sharon Sieben. She offers an expressive portrait of a hummingbird attracted to a blooming flower...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Warm yellows, fiery reds, and deep blues blend harmoniously, reflecting the transition of seasons. Textured layers and sweeping brushstrokes infuse the piece ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Paintings
Wax, Encaustic, Oil
Artist Comments
An energetic demonstration of curved lines and bursting colors fills the space of this geometric abstraction. "Layers of paint were applied over a long period...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Voskan Galstian paints an abstract piece of blooming florals. He channels elements from his daily experiences in tending his garden into an abstract ou...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Onelio lives near Manhattan and travels there often. Grand Central Station is one of his frequent stops. "It is a marvelous interior space that bustles with c...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Wood, Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor
Artist Comments
"I used a palette knife to paint a feeling," says artist Judy Mackey. In this upbeat still life, Judy rendered a bouquet of bright red carnations, adding abstract dashes of yellow and red to build the emotion of the scene she experienced in her studio. She worked all prima, layering wet on wet paint until she achieved the desired sculptural surface.
About the Artist
Originally from Japan, Judy Mackey embarked upon her professional artistic career over a decade ago after connecting with a local artist. He taught her how to skillfully wield a palette knife instead of a paintbrush, which gave rise to her own stylistic development. Judy uses this technique to create heavy texture. Her medium of choice is oil paint, with which she enjoys mixing and creating new colors with limited pigments. Her work glows with sweet simplicity in a painterly, impressionistic style.
Words that describe this painting: flowers, floral, vase, still life, impressionism, palette knife, alla prima, texture, carnations, impressionism, flora, representational, oil painting, blue
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Craig Rouse imagines an architectural abstract landscape in solid colors. He uses temperate shades of blue, gray, and peach ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster paints an impressionistic painting of two White Mandarin ducks. He displays them with their reflections swirling in the water. With intrica...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Craig Rouse depicts a simplified abstract environment expressed with a limited color palette. Part of his NAR series, meanin...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero shows a view of the Lambertville Canal facing south on a spring morning. He conveys the composition in his signature impressionist style...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Voskan Galstian expresses elements from his daily experiences in gardening on the canvas. He uses drip techniques to demonstrate the herbage. Voskan us...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Part of his collection of channeling elements from his daily experiences in gardening and integrating them into his pieces. Artist Voskan Galstian patterns ex...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"The arrangement of three primary colors in the left panel of this diptych emanates intense light," states the artist Shyun Song. "Its whole atmosphere exudes...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Voskan Galstian paints an abstract interpretation of exotic blooms. Part of his collection of channeling elements from his daily experiences in gardeni...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
The painting is on a gallery wrapped canvas with finished white edges. It comes ready to hang.
About the Artist
Naoko Paluszak began her career by ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
While visiting Paris a few years ago, Faye was inspired by the way the late afternoon sunlight cast its long shadows across this busy street corner. "The warm...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
The bare branches and textured grasses in this piece were painted mostly with a palette knife, giving it the broken, wild feeling of nature. In addition to th...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
1930s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1980s Abstract Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Part of artist Cynthia Ligeros' new abstract series of real-life bouquets of flowers. She builds on the energy and the feelings she gets from the individual f...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Sharon Sieben heavily relies on imagination in her work. "I‘ve begun to put my impressions and feelings onto the canvas rather than overthink," she s...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Elizabeth Garat developed this impressionist landscape after a summer hike through the rolling hills of Southern California. She says it was a warm day beneath a dynamic sky. "I wanted to record the striking balance between the golden hill in the foreground and the deep blue mountains behind it."
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. Today, Elizabeth lives in Tennessee and enjoys painting both outdoors and in her studio, a detached garage at her home. She has a keen interest in working with color and capturing the effects of light.
Words that describe this painting: impressionistic, California, summer, landscape, hills, mountains, trees, clouds, sky , impressionism, landscape, representational, oil painting, blue
Santa Ana...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Janet Dyer depicts a burning glow of the setting sun slowly sinking below a snow-covered horizon. Its warmth dusts the clouds a pink hue as the night s...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This painting is the first in a new series exploring coastal life and memories," says Marie-Eve. "It's all about summer, all year-round. Palm trees, beaches,...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
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 Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
"Spring comes in gently and quietly, like a breeze, a breath, a whisper," Agata says poetically. "It nudges you softly to imagine all that can be. Let yoursel...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
1990s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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