“Abstract art has been with us in one form or another for almost a century now and has proved to be not only a long-standing crux of cultural debate but a self-renewing, vital tradition of creativity. We know that it works, even if we’re still not sure why that’s so, or exactly what to make of that fact.”
Pictures of Nothing: Abstract Art Since Pollock, Kirk Varnedoe, 2006, Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, NJ 08540 [p. 29]
What is Abstract Art?
Abstract artist and author Dean Nimmer (preview Dean’s video workshops here!)
by Dean Nimmer
You may like abstract art outright, hate it or not understand exactly what it is, but since you’ve started reading this, I can at least assume you’re curious about this perplexing art form that evades definition and artistic classification.
Abstract art has been around for well over 100 years—some might even assert that abstraction started with the infamous abstract idea of an eight-legged bison found in cave paintings thousands of years ago—and has held its own against changing art movements, manifestos and testimonials to its demise through all these years. I believe
I believe the continuing interest in abstract art lies in its ability to inspire our curiosity about the reaches of our imagination and the potential for us to create something completely unique in the world.
A major obstacle to making an abstract artwork is the barrier in your mind that questions whether abstract art is a legitimate art form—legitimate for you at least. This block may be because you still wonder, “Is abstract art really ‘art’ at all?” Possibly you think you have to master realism before you can work abstractly? Or it could be that you worry your friends and family won’t approve?
Mayo Drawing #14 (oil pencil and wax on paper) by Timothy Hawkesworth
The quick answers to these queries are as follows:
1. Historically, abstract art is a “legitimate” art form, and that judgment was settled well over a century ago.
2. No, you don’t have to earn a diploma in realism before you make abstract art; and no one checks your “artistic license” credentials at the door.
3. If you routinely did everything your friends and family approved of, you probably wouldn’t even consider making art at all, worrying about the dreaded, “You can’t please everybody all the time,” block which haunts artists throughout their careers.
Still, there is our frustration with the fact that there’s no universal agreement to the answer of the question: What is abstract art? What’s important here is to look at that artistic dilemma as an opportunity rather than a roadblock. The opportunity is that abstract art can mean anything you want it to in your personal work, giving you boundless territory to create.
“Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes.”
―Arshile Gorky
In the last chapter of my North Light book, Creating Abstract Art, I asked 50 artists from varied backgrounds and disciplines the question, “What is abstract art to you?” The results show no two answers are the same, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be!
Abstract painting by Eric Aho
What is Abstract Art To You?
“The more I attempt to make something real as a painter, the more abstract it becomes. I love this paradox. As each year goes by, I’m increasingly engaged with the way abstraction and depiction, or realism—or whatever you want to call it—are actually intimately joined, and in constant struggle with [one another]. It comes down to how the world is perceived. Can I paint a forest without rendering a single tree? Or show the entirety of the forest with just one tree?” —Eric Aho
Constellation 1 (acrylic on canvas) by Adria Arch
“I enjoy playing with and rearranging colors, lines and shapes to create images that I want to look at. I want my work to be surprising, playful and provocative. Some of my paintings are doors, others windows. They are all portals. I continue to use these symbols because they are a joyous and mysterious language that is somehow both deeply personal and universal.” —Aria Arch
“For me ‘abstraction’ is not an art movement, a moment in art history or a style of painting. It is a crucial integral connector to the vitality of painting. What is extraordinary for me is that as I go out past what I know—past where I am controlling what I do—to find coherency and form. Contact with this wordless coherency, the gift of form is a profound homecoming.” —Timothy Hawkesworth
Reflecting Back (water, light, plastic, wood and metal) by Chris Nelson
“I want to express a certain feeling and emotion by creating an entire environment for the viewer to walk into or observe from afar. I use materials in a direct and simple way, not transforming or altering them greatly from their natural state. I prefer to keep my pieces as broad and non-objective as possible to allow the viewer to bring in their own interpretations drawn from their own experiences.” —Chris Nelson
Abstract artist Janet Stupak
“When I am engaged in art making I am fully caught up in the medium and tools and mission. I’ve learned not to think about the product that I will end up with because the time spent engaged in the creative activity is what is most important to me. I enjoy the detached feeling I get when working in the abstract—it’s like a dance with my hand and my mind and they take turns leading.”
—Janet Stupak
Stillness (mixed media on panel) by Nicholas Wilton
“Abstraction, like poetry, does not dictate a clear narrative but rather, quietly offers a fragment, a piece of a mysteriously familiar narrative. In my paintings, there has continued to be a paring down of recognizable natural forms, which now have given way to a personal abstract vocabulary of shapes, colors and forms. The prominent use of abstraction has allowed me to distill and better communicate my emotions and ideas about life, nature and our respective place within it.”
—Nicholas Wilton
Interior (mixed media installation) by Yuriko Yamaguchi
“I am always interested in a discovery process in art making rather than working for something I am familiar with. I also want to express internal feelings and thoughts in my works. Something more elusive, poetical and imaginative in my work is my goal. As a result, my work tends to be abstract rather than representational.” —Yuriko Yamaguchi
Yellow Mountain (oil on canvas) by Yuan Zuo
“Though my pictures are abstractions that don’t resemble conventional Chinese paintings, I still work from observation and I present my own honest feelings or ideas through colors and brushstrokes that have become my own tradition as an artist.” —Yuan Zuo
In Conclusion: What is Abstract Art?
Keep in mind artists of whatever stripe are rebels against the grain of society no matter what you choose to do, and you should think of making abstract art as an outsider’s merit badge that sets you apart from the crowd.
WATCH: How to Interpret Sound to Create Abstract Art
Abstraction in art can be anything you want it to be. It can not only be an interpretation of what you see or what you feel, but also what you hear. In the video demonstration below, watch as Dean uses sound to create abstract art.
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