Contemporary Paintings
Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.
Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.
The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.
Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.
Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Tissue Paper
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Wood Panel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Graphite
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Found Objects, Acrylic, Newsprint
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This painting was created in one fast sitting, with furious yet thoughtful brushstrokes," explains Rachel. "The acrylic paint ranges from thick impasto a thin watercolor-like veil." Part of Rachel's signature cubist coffee series. For these pieces, she studies her extensive collection of cafetieres that she keeps in her studio. The works are both about celebrating her love of coffee, and depicting light, pattern, and repetition as though it were set to music.
About the Artist
For Rachel Srinivasan, an idea is worth putting on a canvas only if it still feels exciting after a few days. Rachel enjoys mulling the idea over in her mind for some time before creating an artwork. She hopes viewers will engage with her work and wonder about the subject matter, shapes and colors. "My current work is all about creating a connection between the person on the canvas with the viewer," she explains. She prefers large paintings and sometimes even makes her own canvases. She currently lives in Arizona and enjoys baking rhubarb pies, reading, running and going to art museums.
Words that describe this painting: coffee, espresso, caffe, breakfast, cubism, still life, cuisine, non-representational, modern , acrylic painting, grey
Lighter Blue Coffee...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil, Archival Paper, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This is a view from the clearing of an 18th century stone house that belonged to my art professor at Gettysburg," says artist Jay Jensen. "The painting was i...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Board
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Fabric, Paper, Acrylic, Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Dye, Emulsion, Cotton Canvas, Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Gold Leaf, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Linen, Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Encaustic, Panel
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Thread, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Oil Crayon
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Contemporary paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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