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.
Artist Comments
A modernist abstract constructed in three vertical columns of expressive color emerging from a black background. Artist Janet Hamilton used a palette knife to create a tactile surface in alternating bands of rich pinks, yellows and tonal greys. Part of Janet's signature series exploring geometric lines and color grids.
About the Artist
Janet Hamilton is an abstract expressionist who creates heavily-textured and multi-layered paintings. She is an Illinois-based artist whose studio space is a converted library complete with stained glass windows, a balcony and fireplace. Throughout her portfolio, she demonstrates a mastery over color choice; each palette creates a specific emotion and mood. She builds the texture of her painting with many layers to reflect the emotional depth of her passion-filled process.
Words that describe this painting: geometric, modern, abstract, colorful, grid, lines, stripes, textured, bold, colorful, abstract, non-representational, modern , oil painting, pink
Pink Stripes...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Linen, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Plexiglass, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Linen, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil Crayon, Cotton Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Resin, Glitter, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Panel, Wood Panel, Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Vinyl, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil, Watercolor
1990s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Panel, Gouache
Artist Comments
Every shade from violet through reds and pinks to orange explode in this painting offering a romantic take on this limited palette acrylic painting. You can a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Enamel
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Pastel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
This painting is part of an ongoing series in which Natasha Tayles abstracts the world around her. Her color palette and mark-making adjust to reference the sea...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Wax, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
1980s Abstract Paintings
Linen, Oil
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic