Top 10 famous ABSTRACT painters and their most outstanding works

Abstract art is an avant-garde movement that moves away from the figurative to give way to the subjective vision of reality, gaining prominence feeling and the subjectivity of the artist or, in another case, give way to geometric and impersonal.

In this article by a PROFESSOR we offer you a selection of the best famous abstract painters and their most outstanding works.

Index

1. What is abstract painting and which painters stood out?
2. Wassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944)
3. Robert Delaunay (1885-1941)
4. Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935)
5. Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986)
6. Willem de Kooning (1904-1997)
7. Victor Vasarely (1906-1997)
8. Mark Rothko (1903-1970)
9. Bridget Riley (1931-)
10. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)
11. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)

Experts place the early years of the 20th century as the starting point for the abstract art.

A moment in which the artists turned to creating a pure art, being some of the first works the from Kandinsky, pioneer of abstract art.

Although the roots of abstract art usually go back to cave painting. Next, we are going to take a look at the famous abstract painters and their most outstanding works one by one.

Known as father of abstract art, Kandinsky is the author of the first works of this type of art, being also the creator of the first abstract watercolor. Some works that made him one of the main figures of modern art.

Kandinsky turned to music, the most abstract of the arts, for inspiration, creating improvised works that he described as "compositions."

Furthermore, Kandinsky was also one of the great theorists of the movement. Among his most outstanding works are: Murnau, the exit to Johannstrasse (1908), Circle within a circle (1911), In blue (1911), Composition VII (1913).

Of one and he is another of the famous abstract painters and his works. He went from neo-impressionism to abstraction, one of the greatest contributions of him being the co-founder of the Orphist art movement, a branch of cubism whose main characteristics are the search for pure abstraction and the use of bright colors.

Delaunay thus uses optical effects to create dynamic compositions, being another of the most prominent abstract painters. Among the main works of him stand out Sun and Moon (1913), Tribute to Blériot (1914) or Joy of life (1930).

Malevich he is the founder of suprematism, a movement that employs the basic geometric shapes, that is, squares, circles, rectangles and lines, in addition to using a reduced range of colors. Malevich is also considered a pioneer of geometric abstract art.

One of his most important works is Black Square (1915), being also one of the great theorists of abstract art. Other of his works are Suprematist Composition (1916) and White on White (1918).

O'Keeffe she is considered one of the most outstanding artists of the abstract art. One of the great figures of the American Modernism, an artistic and cultural movement whose main objective was to break with tradition and bet on new forms of expression.

In his works he combined abstraction with representation, his paintings of large flowers being very representative. Among the main works of him stand out Black Iris III (1926), Canna Red (1924) and Blue and Green Music (1921).

Kooning It's one of the abstract expressionist painters more important. This movement stands out for being the first American artistic movement that had a great boom internationally, becoming one of the most prominent movements in art abstract.

Kooning stands out for the mixture of styles that he used, the distortion of the figures and the high level of abstraction that his works reach. Among them stand out Woman I (1952), Woman III (1953) and Interchange (1955).

Known as the father of op art or optical art, Vasarely is another of the famous abstract painters. Its main characteristic is the creation of an optical illusion based on geometric shapes and colors, generating the illusion of movement.

The influence of Op art was extensive and reached architecture, animation and fashion. One of the main abstract works of him is Zebra (1937), in addition to Vga-Nor and Stri Vonal.

Rothko is an artist considered to be the creator of the style Color Field Painting, a style framed within abstract expressionism. A style in which color takes center stage.

Rothko did not consider himself an abstractionist, since the focus of his work was mysticism and esotericism, that is, more spiritual than formal. Within the set of his work stands out Number 10 (1950), Orange, Red and Yellow (1961) and Black on Gray (1970).

This British artist, prominent member of Op Art or optical art. An artist specializing in the creation of complex abstract forms and with the most impressive optical effects. Among her most important works is Fall (1963), Hesitate (1964) or Current (1965).

Mondrian took a spectacular leap from conventional to cubism and luminism, being one of the most active members of the De Stijl movement. A movement that bet on pure abstraction and the embodiment of the essential. Thus, Mondrian opted for the straight line and the primary and neutral colors.

Mondrian is one of the most prominent figures in abstract art, also inspiring the German Bauhaus movement. Among his main works are the Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow (1930), Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue (1937-1942) and Broadway Boogie Woogie (1942-1943).

Pollock is an American painter who created the so-called drip paint. This is an abstract art form that involves the dripping or pouring of paint onto the canvas.

One of his most famous works is Blue Poles, Number 5, Number 31, White II (1923) or Farbstudie Quadrate (1913).

If you want to read more articles similar to Famous abstract painters and their works, we recommend that you enter our category of History.

• OSBORNE, Harold (1990), Abstractionism. XX Century Art Guide. Editorial Alliance,
• SANDLER, Irving (1996) The triumph of American painting. History of abstract expressionism, Alianza Editorial
• ANFAN, David (2017) Abstract Expressionism, Turner