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.
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
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Resin, Vinyl
1960s Abstract Art
Aquatint
1990s Abstract Art
Offset, Lithograph
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Art
Pigment
20th Century Abstract Art
Oil, Canvas
1940s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Metal
1970s Abstract Art
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Art
Enamel
1980s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Photographic Film, Color, Archival Pigment, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
1950s Abstract Art
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
1990s Abstract Art
Graphite, Acrylic, Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Art
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, India Ink
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Metal
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
2010s Abstract Art
Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Paper, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Ink, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Stainless Steel
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Giclée
2010s Abstract Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Iron
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Metal
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1980s Abstract Art
Engraving
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Pencil