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
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract Art
Photographic Paper
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
1980s Abstract Art
Etching, Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Wax, Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Art
Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Lithograph, Offset
Artist Comments
An abstract landscape depicts farmlands stretching along winding country roads. Layers of green and yellow suggest fields alive with summer growth, while touche...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Lithograph, Offset
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract Art
Paper, Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
1980s Abstract Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
Artist Jenn Williamson is an intuitive painter. In her work, she responds to her feelings and the way she is growing or changing to become a better human being. She loves to nurture and inspire others in their journey. And creativity has been at the core of how she processes situations and experiences. "I painted this during a season where I was focused on nurturing my spiritual and emotional sides," says Jenn. "Rather than being driven to succeed and produce results to feel valued, I find great strength in meditation."
About the Artist
Jenn Williamson expertly evokes the scenery of British Columbia in her soft abstract landscapes. She utilizes defining horizontal and vertical strokes, coupled with a skillful handling of color, to create significant depth in each piece. Her paintings, though abstracted, clearly convey the atmospheric attributes of the scene–rain, wind, clouds, fog. Jenn’s muted color palette transports the viewer to the Canadian west coast...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
1950s Abstract Art
Paper, Pastel
1960s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Clay, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Offset
2010s Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Encaustic
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Wood, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Engraving
1980s Abstract Art
Dye Transfer
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Wood, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Art
Paper, Engraving, Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Art
Wood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Thread
1910s Abstract Art
Watercolor, Gouache
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Jute, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Board
2010s Abstract Art
Marble





