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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.
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Paper
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Archival Paper
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Acrylic, Paper, Ink
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Paper, Ink, Acrylic
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Burlap, Acrylic Polymer
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Acrylic, Polymer
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Paper, Ink, Acrylic
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Mixed Media, Digital
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Kip Decker displays a tranquil seascape at sundown. A full moon emerges from the horizon and reflects a soft glow on the pristine waters. Sailboats dri...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Thomas paints an impressionist view of a man walking his dog, casting shadows on the pavement. The pup dons a red winter coat as he treads the s...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mackey says she asked her patrons to help her title this impressionist painting of orange tulips, and she loved the sug...
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Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Jeff Fleming describes his painting style as kinetic impressionism. In this piece, a beagle triumphantly retrieves a stick thrown into the ocean. Jeff started the piece with a pencil sketch on the canvas, then with gloved hands, he applied oil paint using his fingers. Details were later added using brushes. Once these layers of paint dried, he moved the piece to his studio floor. "At this point, I whisked paint in random but authoritative strokes - a speckling technique which replicates water splashing."
About the Artist
Artist Jeff Fleming uses fingerpainting to create exuberant portraits of dogs. Growing up in Southern California, Jeff was first introduced to fingerpainting in kindergarten. He painted through high school and college and won several art awards, including Best of Show in a city wide student competition. After graduating with a degree in journalism and advertising, he went to work as an art director. For the next 40 years, he created print, radio and television ads for a number of top agencies. "After retiring in 2019, the clouds of stress and pressure cleared and allowed me to set my creative energy free," says Jeff. He began developing new techniques focused on the excitement and energy of painting. Today, he uses a variety of methods and tools, including fingerpainting wearing nitrile gloves, traditional paint brushes, bamboo shish kebab sticks, kite string, spraypaint and splattering. While working, Jeff always listens to music, including Broadway musicals, dance music and rhythmic Hawaiian tunes.
Words that describe this painting: beagle, dog, pet, impressionism, Iris Scott...
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Oil
Artist Comments
A mom and her three kids walk toward a gentle surf on a fun summer vacation. Artist John Jaster paints a vibrant heartwarming family portrait under the bright s...
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Acrylic
Artist Comments
"Whether it's fall, winter, spring, or summer it's always time for some colorful birch!" exclaims artist Lisa Elley. A stand of vivid birch trees glows in a b...
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Oil
Artist Comments
Coastal bluff on a sunny afternoon. Distant purple mountains set against the deep blue water and light sky give depth and nice focal point. This painting is p...
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Oil
Artist Comments
"For a few brief moments on the south rim, the morning sun lights up the canyon walls like neon while casting blue shadows into its depths," says artist Cryst...
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Oil
Artist Comments
A sunny hillside in early autumn, the trees beginning to glow in rust and orange. Highlights of pink and blue in the distance add dimension and lead the eye back to the clear blue sky. Part of Vahe's long-running series of forest scenes. Following in the tradition of the French Impressionists, he returns to painting the same locations at different times of the day and year to capture the changing light and colors of the landscape.
About the Artist
Los Angeles-based and Armenian-born artist, Vahe Yeremyan, is a contemporary impressionist. Through his landscapes and cityscapes, Vahe uses a subdued color palette to capture the sublime and delicate beauty of nature and architecture. To create his style of impressionism, he juxtaposes shapes and colors to evoke motion and changing light, while still conveying recognizable forms. Vahe has trained extensively to master his craft and he has earned degrees in painting and a PhD in Fine Art Therapy.
Words that describe this painting: fall, autumn, trees, landscape, hill, impressionism, landscape, representational, oil painting, green
Fall Trees...
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Oil
Artist Comments
I was fortunate to travel and paint in Honfleur's picturesque harbor, which was loved by many French impressionists, including Monet, Courbet, and Boudin. In ...
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Oil
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Steel, Iron
Artist Comments
More and more I love to experiment with abstraction. It's amazing how realism with some abstraction somehow looks more true than when rendered using just real...
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Oil
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Canvas, Oil
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Canvas, Color
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Oil, Acrylic
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Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Montmartre has a special appeal to an artist. I wanted to capture the friendly energy of this unique place that ignited the creativity of so many artists tha...
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Oil
Artist Comments
The last moments of daylight in a residential neighborhood. Woman walking her dog. Cool blues and purple in the landscape rest on a muted peach sky. Expressi...
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Oil
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Canvas, Oil
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Canvas, Color
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Canvas, Oil
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Canvas, Color
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Paper, Acrylic
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Canvas, Color
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Canvas, Color
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Canvas, Oil
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Canvas, Acrylic
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Canvas, Color
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Acrylic
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Fabric
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Canvas, Oil
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Canvas, Oil
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Linen, Oil
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Canvas, Color
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Fabric, Thread, Dye
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Canvas, Color
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Canvas, Color
