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.
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract Art
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Inspired by the views of her annual trips to Northern New Mexico, artist Heather Foster recreates this scene on canvas. She displays an ethereal sky with lila...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Art
Wood
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Charcoal
2010s Abstract Art
Spray Paint, Plywood
2010s Abstract Art
Iron
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Pastel, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
1980s Abstract Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, India Ink
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Paper
1960s Abstract Art
Masonite, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Canvas
1990s Abstract Art
Granite, Bronze, Steel
2010s Abstract Art
Textile
20th Century Abstract Art
Watercolor, Rag Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Wood, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
1960s Abstract Art
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Metal
Artist Comments
Artist Jenn Williamson demonstrates a misty marshland in this contemplative scene. The rhythmic rise and fall of tonal colors break into vaporous clouds hovering over the sky, setting a calming and ethereal ambiance. Jenn paints intuitively but finds herself exploring the new process of basing the piece on an earlier sketch. Her desire to grow as an artist leads her down many new avenues.
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
Oil
Artist Comments
Reflections on the water in Monet's pond at Giverny. Onelio spent some time there taking in the splendor of the setting. "Each view of the place was a paintin...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
1960s Abstract Art
Offset
1980s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Canvas, Digital
20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Ink
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Linen, Wood, Varnish, Mixed Media, Stretcher Bars, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
1950s Abstract Art
Stainless Steel