Raul de la Torre On Sale

Raúl de la Torre is a modern abstract artist who weaves tapestries of color using paint rather than textiles. His vibrant abstract paintings feature bold lines that seem to jump off the canvas. 

A native Barcelonian, de la Torre was born in 1964. He graduated from the University of Barcelona with a degree in marketing direction before deciding to pursue art at Escola Massana. He participated in his first group exhibitions in 2005 in Narbonne, France, and Kranenburg, Germany.

De la Torre has a unique painting style that allows the materials to become the stars of each piece. He begins by choosing a color palette that conveys certain moments, people or feelings. Using acrylic paints, he creates blocks of colors that intertwine in patterns on the canvas. Finally, he makes numerous horizontal cuts into the piece and weaves cotton thread into the area, giving it an additional dimension.

After moving to the United States, de la Torre held his first exhibition in the country at Assunta Fox Gallery in Santa Clara, California, in 2006. He has subsequently showcased his work across the United States, most frequently in California but also in New Mexico, Colorado, New York, Illinois and Maryland.

De la Torre is an in-demand artist whose commissioned work is in private collections and on public display around the world. His paintings are on view at the Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi, the Tropicana Las Vegas and Morgan Stanley in San Francisco and New York. His work is in the private collections of the Rothschild family, the Feller family and the Boston Private trust and bank.

De la Torre plays an active role in the California art community. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Council and the Los Angeles Art Association.

On 1stDibs, find Raúl de la Torre’s paintings, mixed media and more.

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.

Mixed media is a type of art that sees artists using a range of materials or more than one medium. Find a range of mixed media paintings and other artworks for your space today on 1stDibs.

Mixed media is distinct from multimedia, which describes art involving electronic media, including video, computers and digital elements. Artists combine painting, drawing, photography and sculpture for mixed media art. Instead of sticking to one form, they aim to break boundaries and create unique pieces. Pop art is one of the vibrant periods for mixed media art, with Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg among its most fabled producers. Rauschenberg, like many mixed media artists, used found objects in his work, from cast-off furniture to newspapers.

Collage is one of the most well-known areas of mixed media. Artists use various types of paper, fabric, photographs and more to create one cohesive work. A type of collage is assemblage, which involves 3D objects.

While artists may use fabric in collage, it can be the very substance of the art itself. Fabric art makes extensive use of texture. Artists may paint or embroider on fabric to create layers of texture and color to evoke a specific feeling. They can also transfer photos onto fabric for innovative ways to display visuals.

Resin-based art has clean, sharp lines and a definitive shape. Resin is a liquid that hardens to a high-gloss surface and is used to seal wood, counters and floors. Resin can also seal artwork, and many artists tint it using pigment powder, ink, spray paint and other vivid materials. If water is added, the resin will turn milky instead of being completely transparent. It’s common for artists working in mixed media to use resin on nontraditional surfaces like glass, wood, metal and stone. This creates a shine that’s perfect to brighten a dull space in the home or office.

Find mixed media paintings and other art for sale on 1stDibs.