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.
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Artist Comments
A quiet, warm sunset on a field near Saumane in Provence, France. The soft blue sky offers a gentle contrast to the glowing pink clouds and saturated red fiel...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Linen
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Plexiglass, Acrylic
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Acrylic, Canvas
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Textile, Linen, Thread
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
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Metal
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
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Steel
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Linen, Oil, Graphite
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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
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Ink, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Cardboard
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Plexiglass, C Print
1970s Abstract Art
Etching, Aquatint
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Archival Ink
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Art
Linen, Oil, Graphite
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Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
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Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract Art
C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Etching
2010s Abstract Art
Etching
Artist Comments
In this vibrant abstract by artist Robin Okun, nudes radiate life in bright reds and pinks. They glow in luminescent golden accents, creating a striking contr...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Screen
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Wood Panel
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
1980s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Color
2010s Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Canvas
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Fabric, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Color
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
C Print
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Art
Plexiglass, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Inkjet
2010s Abstract Art
C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Etching
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Oil, Acrylic