What is abstract art?
I'm not sure I know the answer, and maybe there is no single answer, but it's a question I like to explore. How about exploring with me?
I'm afraid you will find more questions than answers here, but in the field of art, questions are so much more interesting than answers, don't you think?
This lens is very much a work in progress! It's a bit light at the moment but I'm hoping to enrich it in time. Don't forget to stop by the guestbook and let me know what you think abstract art is or should be, or to suggest links and improvements for the lens.
Thank you!
Florence
(the images used to illustrate this lens are all © Florence Artur)
What is art?
The definition of art has undergone radical changes in the last century. In fact, a lot of modern and contemporary artworks revolve around this question: what is art?Some artists who addressed this question:
- Marcel Duchamp and his readymades
- Yves Klein, who once organized an art show whithout any artwork
- Here is a humorous take on this question from contemporary artist Jérôme Saint-Clair
Here is an interesting article on this question: is it ART or N'ART?
I'd always wanted to know the difference between a mark that was art and one that wasn't.
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)
My definition of abstract art
... and why I love it (the art, not the definition)
Abstract art is art whose "subject" is the work itself, art that doesn't refer to something other than itself: it doesn't show something except the shapes, lines and colors in or on the artwork itself.Of course there are different degrees of abstraction, and a work is not always only abstract, or only figurative. For example, Cy Twombly's paintings often include written words. On the other hand, Matisse's figurative works have a strong abstract element: the painting itself, the use of colors and composition, are much more important than the subject.
So that's it? No message, no greater purpose? Just shapes, lines and colors?
Well yes, that's it, but it's only the beginning.
An artwork only begins to live when you see it, when it creates a reaction in you. Maybe it will make you see things, or maybe feel things. Maybe you won't see anything and you will turn away, saying you don't "get" it. Whichever way you react, you are in a way creating the artwork.
What is wonderful about abstract art is that it's open. What you see is not determined by the subject, but by some sort of mysterious connection between you and the work, between what the artist brought to the work and what you, the viewer, bring to it.
This is true of any artwork, but even more so with abstract art because you are not guided in your exploration by the subject. There is nothing in an abstract work that tells you how you should feel about it. On the other hand, how you feel about a figurative painting is always, to some extent, influenced by the subject.
This is why I love abstract art: it leaves me free to interact with it and "create" the artwork I see.
What's YOUR definition of abstract art?
Do you have your own definition of abstract art? Love this lens, or hate it? Have suggestions to improve it? Go ahead, let's hear it :-)
Cleopatra's Mummy - digital art by Florence Artur
Exploring abstract art on the Web
A few links to get you started
- Flo's art links
- My first lens, where you can find my favorite abstract art links, and a few others.
- Abstract Expressionism
- Presentation of this American art movement, defined with images of works from art history.
A book on Richard Serra
Richard Serra Sculpture: Forty Years
Amazon Price: $47.25 (as of 10/08/2008)
I discovered Richard Serra last year in New York and saw his installation in Paris at Monumenta and was really impressed. Although nothing replaces seeing those huge metal constructions in person, I thought the black and white photos in this book were beautiful.
