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
Emulsion, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Digital
2010s Abstract Art
C Print
Artist Comments
Rich blues and teal streaks suggest the depth of the sea, while cream and white accents mimic light piercing the water. Thick paint applied using drywall knives...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Paper, Ink, India Ink, Rag Paper
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Art
Steel
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Oil Pastel
1980s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Clay, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Paper, Encaustic, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Raw Linen, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel
1990s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Porcelain, Screen, Cardboard, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
1970s Abstract Art
Watercolor
1990s Abstract Art
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1980s Abstract Art
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Lacquer, Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero paints an emerald pool abundant with blooming water lilies. "I am fascinated by the three-fold nature of looking at the water's surface," says Onelio. He displays depth implied in the reflection of the sky, ripples, plants floating, and finally, the telltale signs of things just below the surface. Part of Onelio's ongoing series of paintings exploring bodies of water.
About the Artist
Artist Onelio Marrero paints impressionist city scenes of everyday life. He captures the romanticism of New York City, from the picturesque fountains in Central Park to a glistening city street on a rainy afternoon. He creates a sense of nostalgia and intimacy with his work, offering the feeling that you have visited this particular scene before. “Each play of light, each texture, and each movement of a figure can have a captivating effect on me,†says Onelio. He studied at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art where he mastered discerning color and values, giving his work a more spontaneous appearance. Onelio’s work is an appreciation for beauty in all of its greatest forms; nature, art, and people.
Words that describe this painting: water lily, lilies, Monet, pond, lake, lily pads, reflection, forest, flower, impressionism, water, plants, oilpaint, nature, impressionism, nature, oil painting, green
Pink Water...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Metal
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, India Ink
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Lithograph, Offset
20th Century Abstract Art
Oil, Canvas
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Dye, Acrylic, Linen
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Metal, Steel
Artist Comments
Artist Patricia Prendergast paints an impressionist view of the Sierra mountains. Mesmerized by the unique colors of the environment, she replicates it with a light green base and paints over the alpine scenery. Patricia reveals sections of the foundation and imposes multilayered hues to create a vibration of light. The snowcapped mountain range brightly glows along the pristine Lake Tahoe.
About the Artist
Pastel artist Patricia Prendergast creates impressionist artworks that depict the rivers and landscapes near her home in Sacramento, California. With each nature vignette, she captures the sense of larger natural rhythms through quick mark-making, mauve undertones, and a tranquil and serene haziness. Her work recalls the paintings from the Hudson River School such as Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand. Before working on her pastels at home in her studio, she spends hours studying nature on walks along the river near her home. Since becoming an artist, she says “everything is more vivid - the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water.†Her work as been exhibited in solo shows around California. She is represented by UGallery.
Words that describe this painting: Lake Tahoe, impressionism, mountain, lake, evening, snow, Alpine, sunset, Sierra Mountains, clouds, sky, water, reflection, serene, dusk, nature, pastelwork, small, impressionism, nature, pastel artwork...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Art
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic