Thinking of giving art for Christmas?

Explore our gift guide

Colored artworks

Color plays a fundamental role in contemporary creation as an element capable on its own of structuring a composition, generating emotion, or conveying an entire aesthetic discourse.

Long relegated to a secondary role behind form and drawing in the traditional hierarchy of the arts, it gradually gained autonomy throughout the twentieth century from Fauvist explorations of pure color to lyrical abstraction until it became, for some artists, the sole subject of the artwork.

Henri Matisse, whose cut-out paper works celebrate color in all its power and simplicity, Mark Rothko with his meditative fields of color, or the Op Art artists who explore optical vibrations between complementary hues, illustrate the diversity of approaches within a field that continues to fascinate contemporary artists.

In current artistic practice, color is explored through a wide range of registers—from vivid, saturated Pop Art–inspired palettes to subtle tonal variations and delicate gradients, as well as strong chromatic contrasts that structure pictorial or sculptural space. Whether applied in flat areas, layered glazes, bursts of material, or plays of light on reflective surfaces, color becomes a language in its own right, capable of expressing emotions such as joy, melancholy, energy, or contemplation.

On Artsper, this selection brings together works in which color plays a central role in composition, highlighting the enduring capacity of this fundamental element to generate visual experiences of inexhaustible richness and intensity.

Read more
Painting, Shorthand, Anne Russinof

Anne Russinof

Painting . 76.2 x 76.2 cm Painting . 30 x 30 inch

$5,295

Painting, Bloom 2, Hilary Winfield

Hilary Winfield

Painting . 20.3 x 20.3 x 3.8 cm Painting . 8 x 8 x 1.5 inch

$161

Photography, Gateway 01, Angelica Tcherassi

Angelica Tcherassi

Photography . 149.9 x 99.8 x 0.3 cm Photography . 59 x 39.3 x 0.1 inch

$2,373

Painting, Lou, Istraille

Lou

Istraille

Painting . 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting . 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

$1,394

Painting, Yumi, La Pointe

La Pointe

Painting . 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting . 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

$1,394

Painting, Poptart, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 15.2 x 10.2 x 2.5 cm Painting . 6 x 4 x 1 inch

$324

Painting, Pox VI, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 15.2 x 10.2 x 2.5 cm Painting . 6 x 4 x 1 inch

$324

Photography, Les Voiles, Uwe Ommer

Uwe Ommer

Photography . 90.2 x 59.9 x 0.3 cm Photography . 35.5 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

$3,775

Painting, Pizza I, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 27.9 x 35.6 x 0 cm Painting . 11 x 14 x 0.01 inch

$324

Painting, Hairy, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 27.9 x 35.6 x 0 cm Painting . 11 x 14 x 0.01 inch

$324

Painting, Disco Pants, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 35.6 x 27.9 x 0 cm Painting . 14 x 11 x 0.01 inch

$324

Painting, Anchovies I, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 27.9 x 35.6 x 0 cm Painting . 11 x 14 x 0.01 inch

$324

Painting, Cataracts, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 61 x 45.7 x 0 cm Painting . 24 x 18 x 0.01 inch

$324

Painting, Fish, Julia Faer

Julia Faer

Painting . 39.5 x 39.5 x 1.3 cm Painting . 15.6 x 15.6 x 0.5 inch

$539

Painting, Silence, Ara H. Hakobyan

Ara H. Hakobyan

Painting . 56 x 71 x 2 cm Painting . 22 x 28 x 0.8 inch

$916

Painting, Secret Message, Hal Mayforth

Hal Mayforth

Painting . 101.6 x 71.1 x 0.3 cm Painting . 40 x 28 x 0.1 inch

$5,392

Painting, Dawn, Silvia Vassileva

Silvia Vassileva

Painting . 40.6 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Painting . 16 x 20 x 1 inch

$943

Painting, The Soft Side, Hal Mayforth

Hal Mayforth

Painting . 116.8 x 76.2 x 0.3 cm Painting . 46 x 30 x 0.1 inch

$5,457

Painting, Desire, Vern Rollin

Vern Rollin

Painting . 61 x 61 x 3.8 cm Painting . 24 x 24 x 1.5 inch

$916

Painting, President, Thong Le

Thong Le

Painting . 61 x 50.8 x 2 cm Painting . 24 x 20 x 0.8 inch

$5,446

Painting, Nenuphar, Sheila Tajima

Sheila Tajima

Painting . 50.8 x 61 x 3.8 cm Painting . 20 x 24 x 1.5 inch

$566

Painting, Cytoplasm, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 20.32 x 25.4 x 2.54 cm Painting . 8 x 10 x 1 inch

$324

Painting, Porto, Noa Grayevsky

Noa Grayevsky

Painting . 45 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 17.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$755

Painting, Falling, Kevin Brewerton

Kevin Brewerton

Painting . 96.5 x 177.8 x 2.5 cm Painting . 38 x 70 x 1 inch

$5,284

Painting, Orange morning, Bill Stone

Bill Stone

Painting . 91.4 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting . 36 x 48 x 1 inch

$3,775

Photography, Materia set #15, Mikael Kenta

Mikael Kenta

Photography . 224.8 x 300 x 0.3 cm Photography . 88.5 x 118.1 x 0.1 inch

$35,588

Painting, Dive, Helen Burkova

Helen Burkova

Painting . 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$312

Painting, Depth, Helen Burkova

Helen Burkova

Painting . 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$431

Painting, Create, Elena Artgent

Elena Artgent

Painting . 30 x 30 x 1.8 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.7 inch

$788

Painting, Liberation, Helen Burkova

Helen Burkova

Painting . 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$431

Painting, Believe, Elena Artgent

Elena Artgent

Painting . 40 x 30 x 1.8 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.7 inch

$798

Painting, Beyond!, Steven Miller

Steven Miller

Painting . 111.8 x 111.8 x 5.1 cm Painting . 44 x 44 x 2 inch

$8,196

Painting, Street palms, John Kilduff

John Kilduff

Painting . 167.6 x 213.4 x 3.8 cm Painting . 66 x 84 x 1.5 inch

$12,187