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
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Pigment
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Resin, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Panel
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
1970s Abstract Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Fabric, Canvas, Encaustic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Ink, Watercolor, Wood Panel, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Clay, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Ink, Paper
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Oil
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
Artist Comments
Cool and warm tones blend into an abstract landscape, creating a peaceful yet dynamic scene. Dominant shades of green, blue, and white contrast with accents o...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Linen, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Rag Paper
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Emerald green, red iron oxide, and black strokes sweep across the abstract composition. White lines cut through the piece, giving it a fractured appearance. Marks created to reveal the underlayer enhance the overall effect, adding texture and depth to the painting.
About the Artist
Artist Dorothy Gaziano...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil, Tempera
1980s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
Early 1900s Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
One of artist Agata Kijanka's earliest memories is watching - mesmerized and enchanted - as mysterious peaks and valleys of a moonlit landscape passed by as ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Acrylic
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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