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.
1980s Abstract Art
Masonite, Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Digital Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Archival Pigment
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar paints a panoramic view of Mt. Diablo, a sight visible from her home. She paints a rendition of the mountain with much detail of the surrounding foothills. "I confess I have used my artistic license to have a little fun with the scene," admits Catherine. The title gives the viewer a hint about the creative aspect integrated into the stunning impression.
About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern California...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Watercolor
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Marble
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Art
Digital, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Board
1950s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Plastic, Mixed Media, Permanent Marker
Artist Comments
Artist Joanie Ford depicts a few beachgoers enjoying a relaxing day out by the shore. Clouds provide a cool shadow from the sun's summer heat as a gentle bree...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Board, Watercolor
1940s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Copper, Gold Leaf
1980s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Paper, Encaustic, Oil
1990s Abstract Art
Linocut
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Spray Paint, Wood Panel, Acrylic Polymer, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Monoprint
1960s Abstract Art
Enamel
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Patricia Prendergast has spent many early mornings painting at this pond near her home, but this is a special piece inspired by the desire to depict th...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Lacquer, Charcoal, House Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Black and White, Digital
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Silk, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Art
Metal
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Lithograph