Abstract Art
Abstract Art is underpinned by the logic of perspective and
an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. Abstract art, non-figurative art, nonobjective art, and nonrepresentational art are loosely
related terms. They are similar, but perhaps not of identical meaning.
Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art. This departure from accurate
representation can be slight, partial, or complete. Total abstraction bears no
trace of any reference to anything recognizable. Therefore, the subject of the
work is based on what you see: color, shapes, brushstrokes, size, scale and, in
some cases, the process.
Abstract art began in 1911 with such works as Picture with
a Circle (1911) by the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky
(1866-1944).Kandinsky believed that colors provoke emotions. Red was lively and
confident; Green was peaceful with inner strength; Blue was deep and
supernatural; Yellow could be warm, exciting, or disturbing; and White seemed
silent but full of possibilities. He also assigned instrument tones to go with
each color: Red sounded like a trumpet; Green sounded like a middle-position
violin; Light Blue sounded like flute; Dark Blue sounded like a cello, Yellow
sounded like a fanfare of trumpets; and White
sounded like the pause in a harmonious melody.
In popular culture, the term “abstract” has become like a parody
of the art world itself, usually applied when “meaningless” or “impossible to
understand” is meant. Abstract art doesn’t have to be so unclear. There is
a way to “read” an abstract painting, just as there is to understand and
interpret a more realistic painting. For eg. Kandinsky made a language of his
own using colour. With abstract painting, the piece can be “about” the paint on
the canvas, as with Abstract Expressionism; it can be “about” the process of
painting for an artist personally; it can even be about the meaning of abstract
art itself! Does the painting convey a mood-state or atmosphere? What does it
prompt you to think about? Are you confronted with a particular color or shape?
How does what you’re looking at make you feel?
The other great thing about abstract art is that it can mean
something to you that no one else sees.
-Mandira Sanghi
Artist and Art Columnist
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