Abstract More 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.
Artist Comments
In this large composition, artist John Diehl crafts a monolithic piece using the Pythagorean theorem and advanced light-absorbing paint. While its elegance is a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
1970s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper
1970s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper
1970s Abstract More Art
Paper, Lithograph
1970s Abstract More Art
Permanent Marker
1960s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract More Art
Screen
1960s Abstract More Art
Tape, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper
1980s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper
1990s Abstract More Art
Metal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Ceramic
1960s Abstract More Art
Pastel, Archival Paper
1960s Abstract More Art
Pastel, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This piece is inspired by a musical keyboard representing harmony," explains artist Shyun Song. A delicate seam between sound and visual imagery, Shyun picks...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A whimsical portrait of a dancer in an expressionist tutu. "I wanted to create an image coordinating the model's brilliant white cotton candy hair with her danc...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting is on gallery wrapped canvas with white edges. It comes ready to hang.
About the Artist
Painting is not merely an aesthetic endeavor ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Ink, Archival Paper, Permanent Marker
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Ink, Archival Paper, Permanent Marker
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Ink, Archival Paper, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
Mid-20th Century Abstract More Art
Oil, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract More Art
Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Archival Paper, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract More Art
Paint, Conté, Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Permanent Marker, Tempera, Wat...
Early 2000s Abstract More Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract More Art
Cotton, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digital...
2010s Abstract More Art
Metal
2010s Abstract More Art
Screen
2010s Abstract More Art
Ceramic
1970s Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Varnish
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Varnish
20th Century Abstract More Art
Wool
1960s Abstract More Art
Screen
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Archival Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Thread
Early 20th Century Abstract More Art
Woodcut