What is Abstract Art

Merriam Webster: "Expressing a quality apart from the object..." It's a matter of painting not strictly what is seen, but rather the essence of the subject.

Some definitions of abstract art are offered as a work of art where the image is "not an accurate representation of the subject". I feel that definition is completely erroneous. The opposite is more true. Good abstract art should provide the viewer with a better "representation" of the subject, an image that better characterizes the subject, similar to the way poetry better describes thoughts or the way music helps to convey an emotion.

"Excalibur", Abstract art by Curtis Verdun

Caricatures and Abstract Art

Consider a caricaturist. What he is able to do is to take a face and rather than produce an image that is totally faithful to the original, recreate the image in a way that particular attributes of the person's face are presented more convincingly so that you get to see the real person. Abstract painters have the same goal - to describe what may not be readily perceived by the viewer.

Would we say a caricaturist can't draw? On the contrary, we can say that he has a heightened ability to present what he perceives in the person he is drawing. Abstract? Yes! Inaccurate? That depends on what you need to know. For example, a caricaturist doesn't attempt to tell you exactly what the surface of the subject's forehead is like. He has other things to say - that is, to "explain" the person's character.

In the same way words can help explain a photograph, since photographs indeed have their limitations, caricatures and likewise, abstract art, intend to go beyond a mere graphical display of the subject. They aim to reveal the true essence of the subject to the viewer.

Abstract Music?

Music can actually help us to understand abstract art. If you were to imagine "realistic music" being like a flute mimicking a bird, then much of history's great melodies would have to be considered as "abstract music". They are not copies of natural sounds. They are fabricated, original, artistic arrangements of sound, yet no one has trouble accepting them as art. Why then, should abstract paintings be so hard to accept? They are also artistic arrangements - just visual rather than aural.

Let's think about music further. Practically all the sound emanating from the many sources of music, from orchestras to rock bands, are new creations. Those sounds do not exist in nature. They don't even try to mimic naturally occurring sounds (usually)! They are completely the product of artistic invention. Now, using those new sounds, we have all the great melodies written over the ages. My point? If no one had ever created, from scratch, any new sounds other than to copy what they previously heard, we would not have great melodies, symphonies, sonatas, or even dramatic music scores for movies! We are surrounded by "abstract music" and "nonrepresentational music" - sounds that were musical inventions, and I stress again, not copies of what we hear in nature. Now, correlate that to the visual arts and you can better understand why we have so many styles, forms and movements of modern art, including abstract art.

Now, back to music. Why do we invent sounds? Why do we appreciate these new sounds? Because great melodies communicate the intangible - emotions, thoughts, moods. We can relate and we experience a higher level of being. Don't we all "get" music? Abstract art, even nonfigurative art, should likewise be fairly understandable. The goal of abstract art is to communicate the intangible, that which eludes the photograph and normal seeing. For the artist and the audience, there is a new form of communication.

Most people can appreciate realism in art. As the image veers away from a clean depiction of the subject, some people begin to get nervous. But as we see in music, reality doesn't define art and abstract art isn't simply a lack of realism. It's a heightened depiction of what the subject really is. The goal is to offer the viewer an image of what the subject is all about, which may not be readily apparent.

To an abstract artist, the real image of a subject is locked up in the visual code which is all that our physical eyes see. But, the natural visual world can't fully display character or emotion. The abstract painter seeks to construct, or perhaps reconstruct, an image that better describes the subject, with less emphasis on what is seen and more on the very essence of the subject.

Eye of the Beholder

Still, many feel that nonfigurative abstract art isn't "real" art. Consider this. If I faithfully painted just the pattern of the walls of the grand canyon, and showed it to someone who has never seen rock formations of any kind, can they experience an "artistic response"? Realize, now, that they would have to define it as nonobjective or abstract art, regardless of how beautiful it appeared, because to them it is unrecognizable as being any tangible object. So, in essence, a work of art can be both nonobjective and realistic, depending on the viewer's vantage point or his experience! The bottom line is that it is not only an association with the objects in a painting that provides the artistic experience and appreciation. It can also be simply the arrangement of color, textures and tone that supports the "artistic expression".

Rather than produce a faithful reproduction of what can be seen, the abstract artist focuses on what can be felt and tries to portray that. Music is written the same way.

Abstract Art: Creative Invention

Art, including abstract art, and musical creations serve a purpose and satisfies an inherent need in humans. We yearn to create and express ourselves artistically and we also seek the artistic experience provided by others. It is how we communicate on a deeper level. As I like to say, "art is the only means by which one soul can truly touch another."

We are inherently social creatures and as such we constantly seek ways to communicate creatively. Throughout our history we have been as much involved with art as we have been with food and survival. Well then, what is art? Is it merely a pretty picture? Or is it more? If we had to write a two word summary of the history of man's artistic journey, in music and in art, which of the following two statements would best fit?

• Man copies
• Man creates

When you consider the answer you realize the validity of all art forms and as well, all forms of music. And that abstract art, and yes, even nonobjective art, like it or not, have a rightful place in the world of art. Indeed, the basic tenet of abstract art is at the very core of what art itself is - creative invention.

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Original Abstract Art

Original Abstract Art

Original Abstract Art

Interested in painting a piece of original abstract art (art created by you)? You know that you have never done so before. Well read on for a few some tips that may be able to help you reach that goal.

To create an piece of original abstract art, you must develop a strong imagination and good sense of creativity. Original abstract art skill include the ability to mix different colors, shapes, and textures together and create a complete art piece that represents something in particular. When putting down paint for this form of art, a lot of skilled artists begin in different ways which depends upon what they might be feeling and how their imaginations flow. One simple way to begin is to think of an object that you wish to paint. Now take that same object and abstract it.

Imagine in your minds eye that the object is a blur and paint these shapes and colors. Add different shapes and colors to the painting to make it more abstract. Another tool to assist you is music. This helps many artists begin their artwork.

The rhythm of which the music is played usually influences how fast or slow an artist paints in a session. Music also influences the actual painting. If for example, the music is loud and fast, the painting can be bright and loud. When the music is of a slower type, the painting might come out dull and somber. Abstract Art is the most freely formed type of artwork, no right or wrong about it, it just is. You must let your mind take control and do the work. Surprisingly you can come up with very creative spontaneous work when applying this thought.

First time, get started this way… One you are going to need gather your materials. This allows you to get all your thoughts together into a visual state for others to see. Get over to your local art supply store. Pick up a the best paint brush you can afford. The paint brush will be an important tool to getting your painting started.

Two is going to be the paint. Some abstract pieces are full of vibrant colors; while others could be black and white…this is your choice and your choice only! That is the beauty of abstract art, you can do whatever you would like, there are no rules to follow. Go and buy the best professional paint that you can afford, no the student paints.

If you opt for acrylic paint remember that it dries very quickly so you can over paint your creation many times.

Three would be what you would like to paint on. Anything from basic paper to primed paper, or even a canvas. Since you are a beginner, and painting on a canvas could be a bit expensive, I would start by painting on paper. There are many different types of paper depending on which medium you choose to paint with. Ok now start your original abstract painting. abstract expressionism is a very popular type of abstract art. Painting with no plan at all. Painting by the seat of your pants if you will. This creates true one hundred percent abstractness as your brush takes over and thoughts from your mind go right onto your paper.

abstract art

Fine Abstract Art

Fine Abstract Art

Fine Abstract Art

Numerous people neither value nor understand abstract paintings. The normal considering is that each and every painting need to search like something in the exact same way that a photograph displays some thing that we can easily understand. Anything that does not is effortlessly regarded as as “weird”.

You will frequently listen to it stated that abstract paintings seems like a kid painted it. Most folks think that artwork has to be practical. ‘Abstract’ means ‘ of or pertaining to the formal element of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical types, and so forth., esp. with reference to their relationship to one particular another ‘ or ‘pertaining to the non-representational art designs of the twentieth century’.It is a type of painting that is removed from reality. Abstract paintings came into being at the exact same time contemporary art grew to become known as this kind of to the basic public, because it was stated to be a type of painting that was a component of the modern artwork movement. In the 1900′s, abstract paintings grew to become a lot more visible with the cubist paintings of Pablo Picasso. This art form was not practiced in America until the 1940′s and then it was connected to the works of the artist Jackson Pollock.

Abstract art is regarded as as a painting style and not a class of an art period of time and for that purpose it is nonetheless becoming produced nowadays. Here are some pointers to assist you gain a far better appreciation of abstract art. It ought to not look any set way – that is it should not search like “something”. There are no such principles.

That is the foremost rule to bear in mind. You can observe the textures of the painting by seeking at the physical type of the painting. Request your self what the thickness of the paint is? Does it look like it is raised off the canvas? How do the colors search?

Do you see a blending or a clashing of the shades? How do you really feel when you look at the painting? Emphasis on how the painting makes you experience and a lot less on the thoughts about what it is supposed to be. Do you experience content when you search at it? Or do you experience unhappy? Or does it make to feel calm? Here is an instance of experiencing abstract paintings. An artwork enthusiast as soon as wrote that he saw a very big painting. It was eight foot by 8 foot. To him it looked as although the artist painted it with extremely large, angry, fast strokes.

He noticed the black and red colors have been very notable in the painting and they felt extremely effective in the painting. He thought that the artist should have been angry at the time. As it transpired, the information card on the painting stated that the artist developed the painting following discovering that his apartment was robbed. So the artist’s anger transferred into his art and was plainly visible to an onlooker.

The art enthusiast was in a position to experience the feelings the artist felt at the time he painted the painting, by just experiencing how the abstract paintings created him experience. Nobody has to like this artwork type it is ok not to like it.

Abstract Art

Abstract art is defined as art that has no reference to any figurative reality. In its wider definition the term describes art that depicts real forms in a simplified or rather reduced way - keeping only an allusion of the original natural subject. The abstract paintings of Joan Miro are a good example of this wider definition. The term non-figurative is used as a synonym.

This article is decorated with examples of abstract art prints by leading Japanese printmakers.

The images on this page are link-sensitive and take you to other articles or web sites in which you might be interested.

The Origins of Abstract Art

Abstract Art II

artelino - Art Auctions
by Yoshisuke Funasaka born 1939
copyright Yoshisuke Funasaka

Abstract art is not an invention of the twentieth century. In the Jewish and Islamic religion the depiction of human beings was not allowed. Consequently the Islamic and Jewish cultures developed a high standard of decorative arts. Also calligraphy is a form of non-figurative art.

In the twentieth century Wassily Kandinsky is considered as the inventor of non-figurative art. Over a period of several years his paintings moved gradually away from figurative subjects. In 1910 he created the first completely abstract work of art - a watercolor - without any reference to reality. Wassily Kandinsky not only became the first abstract artist, he also promoted it as a theorist. In 1912 his book On the Spiritual in Art was published.

In 1915 another Russian, Kasimir Malewich 1878-1935, exhibited abstract paintings with mostly geometrical forms. While Kandinsky worked in Germany, Malevich had the center of his activity in Moscow. His book The Non-Objective World was published at the Bauhaus in 1927. His radical approach of reducing art to simple geometrical forms, is called the Suprematist movement. Inevitably Malewich got in conflict with the concept of Soviet realism and died in 1935 in oblivion.

Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Art III

Japanese Prints - Intro
by Takumi Shinagawa born 1908
copyright Takumi Shinagawa

World War II and Hitler's persecution of the Jewish people and the condemnation of modern art by the Nazis, led to a wave of immigration of European avant-garde artists to the United States - mainly to New York.

The result was an enormous impact on contemporary American artists. The art movement called Abstract Expressionism was born. It is less a style than a concept of performing art in a spontaneous way without the limits of conventional forms.

Abstract Expressionism was centered in New York. The best known names are Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko. Other terms used in connection with Abstract Expressionism are New York School and Action Painting - all meaning more or less the same.

Dieter Wanczura
(April 2002, updated October 2009)