What Is Abstract Art?

Mar 13, 2019

To understand “Abstract” art, one needs to understand the term Abstract or Abstraction means “to simplify”.

It is impossible to accurately represent a 3-dimensional scene onto a 2-dimensional canvas.

Therefore the artist had to come up with a way to represent reality onto the canvas. He had to come up with artistic techniques and a symbology set that satisfied his version of reality. The symbols that were chosen are simplifications of reality, i.e. abstractions. This is true of the oldest art to modern art – Egyptian, Renaissance, Oriental, Impressionist, or Expressionist. In short, all art is an abstraction – but to what degree?

A YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kdzGAjG26s ) shows the progression of art from the impressionist period of the late 1800’s through the abstract expressionist period of the late 1950’s.

I hope this video helps you to begin to understand and appreciate abstract art.

Go to my Store to view my Abstract Expressionist Acrylic and Watercolor Paintings and by Abstracted Landscape Paintings.

Enjoy!