Modern Abstract Fine Art Prints and Paintings
At Framed-Arts.com, we offer a wide selection of custom framed abstract art prints, from art work by Mark Rothko to framed Jackson Pollock prints. The abstract art works and artists we feature can be browsed from our custom search page, while this page contains information on the abstract art form itself. Read on to find out how the form got its name, as well as about the difference between contemporary abstract art and the early 20^th century movement.

Abstract Art
Non-objective art was not invented in the 20th century. Human beings have been making non-representational art since we first began to draw pictures. Because Islam does not allow the depiction of the human form, Islamic culture in particular has developed a high standard of decorative arts. Abstract designs have also existed in many Western cultures. However, modern abstract art draws on the distinction between decorative art and fine art, in which a painting is an object itself worthy of thoughtful contemplation.

The term abstract art is generally understood to designate art that uses color and form in a non-representational way, rather than depicting objects as they are in the natural world. However, in the early 20th century, the term typically described art that depicted real forms in a simplified or reduced way, while only alluding to the original subject. As in Cubist and Futurist art, such works attempted to capture intrinsic qualities rather than external appearances. The more precise terms "non-figurative art," "non-objective art," and "non-representational art" avoid any possible ambiguity.

The 20th century saw new developments in non-representational art. Constructivism (1915) and De Stijl (1917) were parallel movements that took abstraction into three dimensions through sculpture and architecture. Constructivists believed that art was a revolutionary activity that should communicate the aspirations of the people through machine production, drawing, and photography. Some American Abstract Expressionists were purely abstract and include Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Hans Hofmann.

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Jackson Pollock is among the best-known American practitioners of the abstract art movement's philosophy and techniques. For more information on Jackson Pollock, including a brief biography and a description of his major works, please see our separate page on the renowned abstract artist. You can also browse our selection of custom framed modern and contemporary abstract art prints by visiting our custom search page. Happy print shopping, and please contact us with any questions.