Alfred Gockel On Sale
2010s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Prints
Etching, Aquatint
2010s Abstract Figurative Prints
Etching, Aquatint
People Also Browsed
1990s Dutch Modern Prints
Paper
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Prints
Wood
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Mixed Media, Lithograph, Screen
Vintage 1960s American Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
20th Century Abstract Geometric Abstract Paintings
Oil
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Contemporary Art
Glass, Paper
1960s Contemporary Abstract Prints
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Lithograph
2010s Prints and Multiples
Lithograph
Vintage 1970s French Prints
Paper
Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Prints
2010s Figurative Prints
Lithograph
1980s Abstract Prints and Multiples
Paper, Lithograph
Late 20th Century American Anglo-Japanese Prints
Metal
Late 20th Century Russian Prints
Lithograph, Paper
1980s Expressionist Prints and Multiples
Lithograph
A Close Look at 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.
Finding the Right figurative-prints-works-on-paper for You
Bring energy and an array of welcome colors and textures into your space by decorating with figurative fine-art prints and works on paper.
Figurative art stands in contrast to abstract art, which is more expressive than representational. The oldest-known work of figurative art is a figurative painting — specifically, a rock painting of an animal made over 40,000 years ago in Borneo. This remnant of a remote past has long faded, but its depiction of a cattle-like creature in elegant ocher markings endures.
Since then, figurative art has evolved significantly as it continues to represent the world, including a breadth of works on paper, including printmaking. This includes woodcuts, which are a type of relief print with perennial popularity among collectors. The artist carves into a block and applies ink to the raised surface, which is then pressed onto paper. There are also planographic prints, which use metal plates, stones or other flat surfaces as their base. The artist will often draw on the surface with grease crayon and then apply ink to those markings. Lithographs are a common version of planographic prints.
Figurative art printmaking was especially popular during the height of the Pop art movement, and this kind of work can be seen in artist Andy Warhol’s extensive use of photographic silkscreen printing. Everyday objects, logos and scenes were given a unique twist, whether in the style of a comic strip or in the use of neon colors.
Explore an impressive collection of figurative art prints for sale on 1stDibs and read about how to arrange your wall art.