Abstract Figurative Paintings
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.
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Panel, Oil
Artist Comments
A young woman takes time out from the busy world to stop and sit on the grass and read her book. "I noticed her sitting in the cool green grass, feeling the warm sun on her back," says artist Faye Vander Veer. "Her red bike...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Silver
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"This painting is another composition that depicts a group of figures with graceful and fluid movements," says artist Nancy Hughes Miller. They sway their hips in unison with bare feet in light tiptoes. Their dresses glow with intricate floral adornments.
About the Artist
Romanian-born painter Diana Chelaru’s paintings are colorful and contemporary interpretations of human emotion. For Diana, art is a means of communication. “It is how I express my thoughts, hopes, regrets and joys,†she says. Though she gets great pleasure from applying paint to canvas, it is the expression of emotions that she finds to be most important. Diana’s style is influenced by Byzantine mosaics as well as Gustav Klimt’s subject matter and use of decorative patterns within his compositions. Each artwork is created intuitively, resulting in paintings that speak to the soul.
Words that describe this painting: dance, music, figurative, figure, expressionism, movement, motion, wind...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
1980s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
A young girl sits at a park on a late summer's day in August, lost in a story of a compelling book. The strong afternoon sunlight highlights her hair and back. "I saw this girl sitting by the reflecting pool in Washington, DC", shares artist Faye Vander Veer. "I wanted the painting to be about her, so I obscured surrounding details and kept the brushwork loose. What was her story, what was she reading?”
About the Artist
Artist Faye Vander Veer seeks out moments with engaging narratives and captures them with an impressionist style. She describes herself as an observer of people living their day-to-day lives. Her goal is to offer viewers a look into her sensory memory while also prompting the beginning of a story. Faye always keeps her camera by her side, ready to capture reference material. "For me, each painting is an opportunity to explore my emotional reactions to the color and light I observe," says Faye. She enjoys being in her glass-walled studio surrounded by nature to inspire her creative process. When she is not putting paint on canvas, Faye can be found in nature, journaling or writing poetry. Her artwork has been showcased in both American Art Collector and Art of the West magazines.
Words that describe this painting: figure, figurative, female, woman, girl, impressionism, impressionist, water, book, Manet, Degas, people, park, book, hair, impressionism, people, oil painting, brown
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Relaxed and contemplative, a woman sits reclined with both legs tucked under. Artist Gail Ragains used broad strokes of color in a harmonious combination of t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Metal
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Masonite
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Enamel
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Paper
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Wood, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 2000s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Metal
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Figurative Paintings
India Ink, Canvas, Acrylic, Cardboard
Artist Comments
"In this painting, I wanted to further my explorations of interiors in dramatic lighting and the look of folds on unmade beds," explains artist Onelio Marrero. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings
Oil Crayon, Oil, Board