"The more frightening the world becomes, the more art becomes abstract." – Wassily Kandinsky
What is abstract art? In a sense all art is abstract and paradoxically abstract art isn't really abstract at all. The difference between a photograph and a painting is that a photograph is a moment captured and a painting is a feeling expressed. If that's true then even the most representational paintings are based on the feelings and emotions of the artist, you'll only ever see what the artist wants you to see and what the artist wants you to see are the things that matter to the artist. It is impossible for a painting to capture every detail as a photograph does, so all paintings become abstract to some degree or another.
On the other side of the coin you could argue that there is no such thing as abstract art; if we define the term abstract as non representational then we have to concede that abstract art is non representational. Are we really suggesting that an abstract painting is just a mass of random colours and forms? Of course abstract art is representational, it is the vision of the artist, it is the artist's view of the world and when we have the opportunity to stand and admire an abstract painting we are lucky to be given the chance to see an outlook other than our own. You see all our visions are abstract, our brains translate the images we see in all manner of ways, some see more than others, some see different colours and shapes. It all comes down to how we learn to see and perhaps that's the blessing of an abstract artist, he has truly learnt to see.
Jake Bose, Vitreous Contemporary Art |
