Dan Snyder
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal, Watercolor, Gouache
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Oil
1980s 85 New Wave Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Jute, Oil, Canvas
People Also Browsed
2010s American Modern Music Stands
Brass
1980s Contemporary Landscape Prints
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Historical Memorabilia
Other
Antique 19th Century Italian Baroque Revival Beds and Bed Frames
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Carpets
Wool
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Antique Mid-19th Century Prints
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Carpets
Leather
2010s Dutch Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Organic Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay, Ceramic
Antique Mid-19th Century Prints
Paper
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Wall Mirrors
Mirror
2010s Dutch Floor Lamps
Leather
1980s Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XV Side Tables
Ormolu
20th Century American Books
Paper
Recent Sales
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
1980s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Paint, Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paint, Paper, Watercolor
A Close Look at 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.