Abstract Portrait 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.
Style: Abstract
Color: Black
1M 1 CENT POSTAGE DUE. Drawing on paper
Located in Miami Beach, FL
1M 1 CENT POSTAGE DUE, 2023 by Rodrigo Spinel
Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g.
Frame size: 43 cm H x 43 cm W x 3 cm D
Image size: 30 cm H x 30 cm W
Unique
Ivory Wood Brown Fra...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, India Ink
"Portrait 2" Drawing 23" x 17" inch by Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
Located in Culver City, CA
"Portrait 2" Drawing 23" x 17" inch by Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
Unique work
ball pen, spray paint, paper 180g
ARTIST BIO:
Oleksandr Miroshnychenko lives and works at his studio in...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Spray Paint, Ballpoint Pen
"Portrait 1" Drawing 23" x 17" inch by Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
Located in Culver City, CA
"Portrait 1" Drawing 23" x 17" inch by Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
Unique work
ball pen, spray paint, paper 300g
ARTIST BIO:
Oleksandr Miroshnychenko lives and works at his studio in...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Spray Paint, Ballpoint Pen
"Portrait 4" Drawing 23" x 17" inch by Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
Located in Culver City, CA
"Portrait 4" Drawing 23" x 17" inch by Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
Unique work
ball pen, spray paint, water colour, paper 300g
ARTIST BIO:
Oleksandr Miroshnychenko lives and works at his studio in Kochetok, a small village in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. In 2001, he decided to become an artist after one year of studying radiophysics at Karazin Kharkiv National University. Miroshnychenko subsequently enrolled at Kharkiv Artist College but after two years of education was expelled. The aspiring artist's first meeting...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Spray Paint, Ballpoint Pen
"Portrait 3" Drawing 23" x 17" inch by Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
Located in Culver City, CA
"Portrait 3" Drawing 23" x 17" inch by Oleksandr Miroshnychenko
Unique work
ball pen, spray paint, paper 180g
ARTIST BIO:
Oleksandr Miroshnychenko lives and works at his studio in...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Spray Paint, Ballpoint Pen
Colorful Watercolor Portrait of Seated Female in Pink and Orange Striped Dress
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful watercolor portrait of seated female in a pink and orange striped dress by Mexican artist, Nadine Mayes. Signed by the artist in the bottom right corner and currently displ...
Category
20th Century Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Pen
Colorful Watercolor Portrait of Seated Female in Blue and Pink Floral Dress
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful watercolor portrait of seated female in blue and pink floral dress by Mexican artist, Nadine Mayes. Signed by the artist in the bottom right corner and currently displayed ...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Pen
Colorful Watercolor Portrait of Seated Female in White Shirt and Striped Hat
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful watercolor portrait of seated female in a white shirt and striped hat by Mexican artist, Nadine Mayes. Signed by the artist in the bottom right ...
Category
Late 19th Century Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Pen
Colorful Watercolor Portrait of Seated Female in Blue Dress and Black + Red Hat
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful watercolor portrait of seated female in a blue dress and black + red hat by Mexican artist, Nadine Mayes. Signed by the artist in the bottom right corner and currently disp...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Pen
Untitled Baseball Player
Located in New York, NY
Unknown Artist, "Untitled Baseball Player", Figurative Charcoal Drawing, 17.50 x 23.50 (In Frame 25.50 x 31), Late 20th Century
Colors: Blac...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
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Selected Group Exhibitions: 65th Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association at the San Francisco Museum of Art, 1945; Fourth Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1963.
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Abstract portrait drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract portrait 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 portrait 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 and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Annemarie Ambrosoli, Raluca Arnăutu, Oleksandr Miroshnychenko, and Anastasia Kurakina company. 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 portrait drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 5.5 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait 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 $200 and tops out at $36,875, while the average work sells for $1,110.
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