Skip to main content

Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

ABSTRACT STYLE

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.

to
4
58
27
27
4
12
11
1
15
19
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
4
58
79
65
64
62
58
52
41
23
18
Style: Abstract
Artist: Jaanika Peerna
Gushing 3 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Gushing 3 (Abstract drawing) Pigment and Color Pencil on Mylar. Unframed. Gushing represents a transition between Peerna’s earlier Maelstrom series based on circular motion, and t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Color Pencil, Pigment

Big Blue Melt 14 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Big Blue Melt 14 (Abstract drawing) Pigment, Color Pencil and Ice on Mylar. Unframed. Big Blue Melt are works that have been created with pigment pencils and ice. Peerna starts th...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Pigment, Color Pencil

Thaw 14 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Thaw 14 (Abstract drawing) Color Pencil and Graphite on Mylar. Unframed. Thaw Series is a group of drawings where the artist continues her work touching upon environmental matters...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Color Pencil, Graphite

Ablation Zone 6 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Ablation Zone 6 (Abstract drawing) Pigment And Ice on Yupo. Unframed. Ablation is a series of drawings that extend the Blue Melt approach into large, long, excessively vertical wo...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Pigment

Blue Melt 19 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Blue Melt 19 (Abstract drawing) Pigment, Ice on Yupo. Unframed. Blue Melt are works that have been created with pigment pencils and ice. Peerna starts the drawings by first markin...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Color Pencil, Pigment

Screech of ice series 41 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Screech of ice series 41 (Abstract drawing) Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Screech of ice series 41 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Screech of ice series 41 (Abstract drawing) Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Small Maelstrom (Ref 854) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Small Maelstrom (Ref 854) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the cente...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Small Maelstrom (Ref 854) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Small Maelstrom (Ref 854) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the cente...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pigment, Mylar, Pencil

Screech of ice series 43 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Screech of ice series 43 (Abstract drawing) Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Storm Series (Ref 844) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, this artwork was made by tightly clasping a s...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Screech of ice series 42 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Screech of ice series 42 (Abstract drawing) Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Storm Series (Ref 844) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Storm Series (Ref 844) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, th...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Screech of ice series 43 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Screech of ice series 43 (Abstract drawing) Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Screech of ice series 42 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Screech of ice series 42 (Abstract drawing) Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Small maelstrom (Ref 855) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on a tilted table, she extends her fingers ...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Small maelstrom (Ref 855) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Small maelstrom (Ref 855) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the cent...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Storm Series (Ref 844) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Storm Series (Ref 844) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, th...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, this artwork was made by tightly clasping a s...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Screech of ice series 43 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in two hands and letting them to do the control...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Undulations 3
Located in Fairfield, CT
Jaanika Peerna is an Estonian-born artist living and working primarily in New York since 1998 as well as in Berlin and Tallinn. Her work encompasses drawing, video, installation and performance, often dealing with the theme of transitions in light, air, water and other natural phenomena. She is often involved in collaborative projects working with designers, dancers and musicians. She has exhibited her work extensively in the entire New York metropolitan area as well as in Berlin, Paris, Tallinn, Helsinki, Venice, Rome, Dubai, Sydney, and Moscow. Her work is in numerous private collections in the US and Europe and was recently acquired by Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris. Her work is represented in the United States by ARC Fine Art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Wax Crayon

Undulations 2
Located in Fairfield, CT
Jaanika Peerna is an Estonian-born artist living and working primarily in New York since 1998 as well as in Berlin and Tallinn. Her work encompasses drawing, video, installation and performance, often dealing with the theme of transitions in light, air, water and other natural phenomena. She is often involved in collaborative projects working with designers, dancers and musicians. She has exhibited her work extensively in the entire New York metropolitan area as well as in Berlin, Paris, Tallinn, Helsinki, Venice, Rome, Dubai, Sydney, and Moscow. Her work is in numerous private collections in the US and Europe and was recently acquired by Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris. Her work is represented in the United States by ARC Fine Art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Wax Crayon

Undulations I
Located in Fairfield, CT
Jaanika Peerna is an Estonian-born artist living and working primarily in New York since 1998 as well as in Berlin and Tallinn. Her work encompasses drawing, video, installation and performance, often dealing with the theme of transitions in light, air, water and other natural phenomena. She is often involved in collaborative projects working with designers, dancers and musicians. She has exhibited her work extensively in the entire New York metropolitan area as well as in Berlin, Paris, Tallinn, Helsinki, Venice, Rome, Dubai, Sydney, and Moscow. Her work is in numerous private collections in the US and Europe and was recently acquired by Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris. Her work is represented in the United States by ARC Fine Art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Wax Crayon

Storm Horizontal 82 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Storm Horizontal 82 (Abstract drawing) Graphite and color pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and S...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Color Pencil, Graphite

Thaw 3 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Thaw 3 (Abstract drawing) Graphite and colored pencil on two layers of plastic paper. Unframed. Thaw Series is a new series of drawings where the artist continues her work touchin...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Color Pencil, Graphite

Maelstrom Series 67 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Maelstrom Series 67 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Tipping Point #7 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Tipping Point #7 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Tipping Point. This drawing has been created eyes closed. It captures an a...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Big Melt #10 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Big Melt #10 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil and water on mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Big Melt. It has been created with pigment pencils and ice. It captu...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Big Melt #16 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Big Melt #16 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil and water on mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Big Melt. It has been created with pigment pencils and ice. It captu...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Tipping Point #7 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Tipping Point #7 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Tipping Point. This drawing has been created eyes closed. It captures an a...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Tipping Point #5 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Tipping Point #5 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Tipping Point. This drawing has been created eyes closed. It captures an a...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Maelstrom Series 77 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Maelstrom Series 77 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on a...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Maelstrom Series 68 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Maelstrom Series 68 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on a...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Color Pencil

Storm Horizontal 82 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Storm Horizontal 82 (Abstract drawing) Graphite and color pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and S...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Color Pencil, Graphite

Thaw 3 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Thaw 3 (Abstract drawing) Graphite and colored pencil on two layers of plastic paper. Unframed. Thaw Series is a new series of drawings where the artist continues her work touchin...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Color Pencil, Graphite

Maelstrom Series 67 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Maelstrom Series 67 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Big Melt #10 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Big Melt #10 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil and water on mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Big Melt. It has been created with pigment pencils and ice. It captu...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Big Melt #16 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Big Melt #16 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil and water on mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Big Melt. It has been created with pigment pencils and ice. It captu...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Maelstrom Series 77 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Maelstrom Series 77 (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on a...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Screech of ice series 43 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in two hands and letting them to do the control...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Storm Horizontal 82 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Graphite and color pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, this artwork was made by tightly c...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Color Pencil, Graphite

Big Melt #10 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil and water on mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Big Melt. It has been created with pigment pencils and ice. It captures the moment when solid is turn...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Big Melt #16 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil and water on mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Big Melt. It has been created with pigment pencils and ice. It captures the moment when solid is turn...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Maelstrom Series 67 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on a tilted table, she extends her fingers ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Tipping Point #7 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed. This work is from a series titled Tipping Point. This drawing has been created eyes closed. It captures an accumulation of marks made by the arti...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Screech of ice series 41 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in two hands and letting them to do the control...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Thaw #8
Located in Fairfield, CT
This piece is framed.
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Color Pencil, Graphite

Thaw #6
Located in Fairfield, CT
This piece is framed.
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Color Pencil, Graphite

Maelstrom Series 68 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on a tilted table, she extends her fingers t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Color Pencil

Maelstrom 80
Located in Fairfield, CT
wax pencil on mylar 36 x 36 in
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Wax, Pencil

Maelstrom 78
Located in Fairfield, CT
wax pencil on mylar 36 x 36 in
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Wax, Pencil

Maelstrom Series #80
Located in Fairfield, CT
Wax pencil on mylar.
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Wax

Maelstrom Series #78
Located in Fairfield, CT
Wax pencil on mylar
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Wax

Thaw 3 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Graphite and colored pencil on two layers of plastic paper. Unframed. Thaw Series is a new series of drawings where the artist continues her work touching upon environmental matter...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Color Pencil, Graphite

Maelstrom Series 77 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the center on a tilted table, she extends her fingers t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Abstract abstract drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract abstract drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add abstract drawings and watercolors created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Martin Reyna , Mila Akopova, Jaanika Peerna, and Sumit Mehndiratta. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Abstract abstract drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available. Prices for abstract drawings and watercolors made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1 and tops out at $400,000, while the average work sells for $1,502.

Recently Viewed

View All