Abstract 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.
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1950s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Metal
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Clay
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Art
Canvas, 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...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
Artist Comments
I see blue as a seminal color representing life in all its forms.
About the Artist
Pat Forbes is an abstract painter whose aesthetic is heavily influenced by her 20 years as a collector and dealer of Middle Eastern textiles. Pat, who lives on the Atlantic Ocean in Massachusetts, uses a neutral palette to present her interpretation of the world around her– from marshes and mountains to stones and spiderwebs. She is drawn to pattern and design, both of which influence the use of balanced repetition in her work. Pat’s muted colors invite pensive meditation, while her deliberate use of line guides the eye through satisfyingly symmetrical compositions.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
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...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Archival Ink
2010s Abstract Art
Steel
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Granite
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Encaustic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Screen
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
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...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Panel
Artist Comments
A two-toned contemporary abstract piece features a textured surface. In her signature style, artist Janet Hamilton crafts through thick layers of paint applied ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Photographic Film, Emulsion, Printer's Ink, Watercolor, Photographic Pap...
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Photographic Film, Photogram, Monotype, Color, C Print, Photographic Pap...
2010s Abstract Art
Ink, Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Janet Hamilton creates a contemporary abstract painting using drywall knives. The mesmerizing repetitive circular motion forms an organic shape. Shades o...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Heidi Hybl paints an abstract seascape with soft and blurred edges, evoking a sense of tranquility and fluidity. The piece features a striking red horizo...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic, Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Silk, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Thomas portrays a luminous horizon where loose brushstrokes and blurred outlines create a sense of ambiguity. The nuances of blues create depth ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
