Abstract Art
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 Art
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
I was fortunate to travel and paint in Honfleur's picturesque harbor, which was loved by many French impressionists, including Monet, Courbet, and Boudin. In ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph, Offset
1950s Abstract Art
2010s Abstract Art
Glass
Artist Comments
Artist Kip Decker displays a tranquil seascape at sundown. A full moon emerges from the horizon and reflects a soft glow on the pristine waters. Sailboats dri...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
1980s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic, Graphite
2010s Abstract Art
Digital, Giclée
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Montmartre has a special appeal to an artist. I wanted to capture the friendly energy of this unique place that ignited the creativity of so many artists tha...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
1990s Abstract Art
Monotype
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Chalk, Color Pencil, Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Carbon Pencil
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Chalk, Color Pencil, Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Chalk, Color Pencil, Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist Pat Forbes depicts an abstract landscape with large towering structures under a murky atmosphere. "This piece reflects on the pleasures of traveling, and the joy of experiencing new and exciting places," says Pat. Uneven lines make up chunks of large structural shapes drawn close to one another. A green glowing sphere shines above the city that features prominent hues of blue, green, and yellow.
About the Artist
Pat Forbes is an abstract painter whose aesthetic is heavily influenced by her 20 years as a collector and dealer of Middle Eastern textiles. Pat, who lives on the west coast of Florida, uses a neutral palette to present her interpretation of the world around her– from marshes and mountains to stones and spiderwebs. She is drawn to pattern and design, both of which influence the use of balanced repetition in her work. Pat’s muted colors invite pensive meditation, while her deliberate use of line guides the eye through satisfyingly symmetrical compositions.
Words that describe this painting: abstract, architecture, travel, buildings, sun, city, cityscape, travel, abstract, architecture, travel, acrylic painting, green
Old City...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Mylar, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1990s Abstract Art
Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
1980s Abstract Art
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Concrete
2010s Abstract Art
Steel, Iron
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic