The Abstract art movement began in the late 19th century when the traditional perception of art as the illustration of nature was replaced by the artists’ desire to express the imagination and the unconscious. Graphic art, painting and sculpture suddenly bore little or no resemblance to recognisable objects or the visible natural world. Instead, shapes, textures, tones and colours were all used subjectively. In this way, Abstract art became known synonymously as ‘Non-figurative art’, ‘Non-objective art’ and ‘Non-representational art’.

In the early 20th century Abstract art was frequently used to describe Cubist art and Futurist art, in which real forms were reduced to a simplified version. The paintings were ultimately an allusion to the original subject and were therefore said to encapsulate its essential characteristics and inherent qualities, as opposed to its outer appearance.

Vasily Kandinsky was recognised as the first modern abstract artist in 1910, with Piet Mondrian contributing significantly to the movement’s expansion through the De Stijl group during 1915-1920. Further art movements flourished during this period, such as Expressionism and Fauvism, obtaining significant influence from Abstraction and ensuring that after the 1930s it was distinguishing feature of Western art. After the Second World War, the U.S. angled the movement towards Abstract Expressionism – influencing both American and European art into the 21st century.

Our Art on Demand gallery contains the following abstract prints, posters and canvases.