Abstract Paintings

ABSTRACT STYLE

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.

Style: Abstract

Period: 18th Century

Transcendental vision. Oil on canvas, 93x92 cm

By Juris Zvirbulis

Located in Riga, LV

Transcendental vision. Oil on canvas, 93x92 cm Juris Zvirbulis was born in 1944 in Riga. 1970 graduated from the Riga Secondary School of Applied Arts decorators department. 1971 Member Artists' Union of the Latvia. In 1971 First solo exhibition in the artistic and historical museum of Tukums in Latvia. In 1974 his illustrations for the A.S. Pushkin's book, "Eugene Onegin" (published Liesma) was awarded at the 7th All-Union competition of books, posters and postcards design (Moscow, USSR). Significant exhibitions: 1976 - First place in the All-Union Exhibition of Young Artists in Moscow 1983 - Solo exhibition at the Museum of Foreign Art (Riga, Latvia) 1988 - personal exhibition at the Pushkin State Museum (Moscow, Russia) Museum bought more than 100 of the artist miniatures to collection. 1989 - Group exhibition "Contemporary Soviet Painters from Riga" Edward Nahamkina Art Gallery (New York, USA) 1990 - Group exhibition at the Astra Gallery (Chicago, USA) 1990 - 1992 - works exhibited in the Harmony Gallery (Paris, France) 1992 - Solo exhibition at Gallery Carre d'Or (Paris, France) 1993 - Solo exhibition at the Gallery of the Riga (Riga, Latvia) 1994 - Exhibition in honor of the 50th anniversary at the Latvian National Art Museum, Exhibition Hall Arsenals (Riga, Latvia) 1997 - Solo exhibition at the Gallery of Riga (Riga, Latvia). In cooperation with IBM Latvia and Modo Paper released exhibition catalog. 1998 - Exhibition of watercolors - miniatures at Gallery "Nocturne", Riga 1999 - personal exhibition at the Pushkin State Museum (Moscow, Russia) 2004 - personal exhibition at gallery "Manss" (Jekabpils, Latvia) 2005 - Group exhibition of Latvian-French festival "Amazing Latvia" (in Bourgoin-Jallieu, France). 2011 - Contemporary Art exhibition-fair at Gallery Birkenfeld ArtVilnius'11 (Vilnius, Lithuania) Group Exhibition-Fair of Lineart Contemporary Art (Ghent, Belgium). Group exhibition at the Art Museum Nerima (Tokyo, Japan) 2012 Released artist album "Retrospective". Solo exhibition "The Battle of Waterloo would have ended differently ... Dedication to Marshal L.N. Davu." At gallery Birkenfelds. The artist works in the following genres and techniques: watercolor, painting, drawing, book illustrations, murals for public interiors in Latvia and abroad. Works in museums and private collections: At the Latvian National Museum of Art, at collection of Artists' Union of Latvia, Russian Ministry of Culture (Moscow, Russia), the Pushkins` State Museum (Russia), Bank of Latvia, Džeinas Vorhīsas Cimerlī Art Museum, Radzhersa, State University of New Jersey, at collection of Norton and Nancy Dodge nonconformist art of the Soviet Union (US), Vitaly Gotlib (Latvia), and Indra Benjamin Wilson...

Category

1770s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Juris Zvirbulis
Transcendental vision. Oil on canvas, 93x92 cm, 1970s

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Stephen Battle
Soil Tire Rest, 2016

H 54 in W 60 in

This and No Other

Located in Dallas, TX

oil on canvas

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Julia Schwartz
This and No Other, 2014

H 30 in W 24 in

New Move

By Frank Arnold

Located in Fresno, CA

"New Move 8" Oil on Canvas is a mix of blues and greens with chrome yellow accents. Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculpto...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

H 22.84 in W 19.69 in D 1.97 in

Still Life with Flowers, Oil on Canvas, Flemish School 18th Century

Located in Milan, IT

Oil on canvas attached to board. Flemish school. The floral composition was painted looking to models from Mid 17th century with a subsequent execution technique. Already restored an...

Category

18th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Still Life with Flowers, Oil on Canvas, Flemish School 18th Century, 1700s

H 22.84 in W 19.69 in D 1.97 in

Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Giorgio Lo Fermo, Sumit Mehndiratta, Nestor Toro, and Cindy Shaoul. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Synthetic Resin Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Abstract paintings, so small editions measuring 0.1 inches across are also available.