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Abstract Art for Dummies... - 3/19/2008 11:52:17 PM

lisaw

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I found this on About.com. I thought it wass very interesting, particularly the questions for an artist to ask themselves...

Things to consider when looking at or creating abstract art.

One of the most common reactions to abstract art is along the lines of "My six-year-old could've done that". And the usual response by artist is to say the person lacks the mental ability to appreciate abstract art.
But if a piece of abstract art is to have significance for anyone other than the artist, it needs to have something that'll retain the viewer's attention, draw them in, keep them looking, and generate an emotional response.
As a viewer of abstract paintings, ask yourself the following questions:

Am I trying to figure out what it looks like or represents rather than allowing something to emerge from what I see in front of me?
What are the elements, colors, and textures of the painting?
How do these interact with each other?
What emotions do the painting evoke?
What is the title of the painting and how is this influencing what I see?
Have I allowed enough time to make a connection with painting?

As an artist creating abstract paintings, ask yourself the following questions:

Do I simply want my abstract painting to be beautiful?
Do I intend this abstract painting to convey something specific to the viewer?
Do I want people to extract their own meaning from it?
What in the abstract painting is going to do this?
How do the elements interact?
Do I want to guide the viewer's interpretation with my choice of title?
Do I want to write a statement to accompany the painting explaining how I created it, what my thoughts were while I made it, or what I see it conveying?
Does it matter to me if they don't "get it"?

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RE: Abstract Art for Dummies... - 3/20/2008 9:20:03 AM

GreenBiscuit

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That is an interesting summary, Lisa. From my personal point of view, as a viewer/patron, sometimes I pay attention to things like a title or statement, and sometimes I don't. I own a piece of art, for example, that I suspect meant something entirely different to the artist, but when I saw it, it slapped me in the face with the image of a specific time and place in my life. In this case, the title that the artist gave it means nothing to my particular vision, and to this day, I still see my vision clearly.

In other pieces, it is sometimes perfectly obvious what the artist wanted to represent, and it is hard to stray from that, especially if it is somewhat or completely representational. I think nuances can be interpreted, that may or may not be exactly what the artist intended, but that's okay, in my mind. Kelli DuBay's work comes to mind here.

For myself, my abstract work is all over the place. I think one of my most effective pieces is one that I had to give away immediately after completion. It was created quickly from raw emotion, and was a carthesis of sorts. Then it was done, and needed to be gone, at least from my sight. Yet, in a strange way, it remains a favorite of mine.

Some other abstract work of mine, seems to appeal to only me (based on the fact that it never sells). Yet, it still conveys exactly what a want - the mood and essence of what it is portraying. For example, in my Seasons series, each and every color block was laid out and chosen carefully. They are mixes of texture and smoothness, and moods. I presonnaly find them to be successful, and I guess that is what matters in this case.

There are other famous artists who's work I find somewhat visually appealing, but it is at an aesthetic level, not at an emotional. Yet I am sure they had emotions they were trying to convey. That's okay, too.

How about you? What do you think about yours and others work?

Edited for typos - sigh.

< Message edited by GreenBiscuit -- 3/20/2008 12:34:52 PM >

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RE: Abstract Art for Dummies... - 3/20/2008 11:48:04 AM

lisaw

Posts: 2710
Joined: 3/8/2006
From: Bryan, Ohio
Status: online

Oh I think your Jamaica Heat painting absolutely displays what you intended without even having to read the artist statement. That might be because I know your connection to Jamaica, but whatever, I feel I "get it." My thoughts are that a work -abstract or otherwise- should reach someone on some level. My abstract work ordinarily starts out with something not often contected to much emotion- organic or architectural shapings- but then takes on a life of its own that I hope -I want- to have is replete with dynamic emotion. Some I believe are more effective than others. Admittedly, my still lifes are harder to produce emotion from than my abstracts, and that may just be me or may just be the nature of the beast.

Do I simply want my abstract painting to be beautiful? No
Do I intend this abstract painting to convey something specific to the viewer? Um, perhaps a general feeling, but as to whether that feeling is positive or negative or has a particular story to it I accept as being very realative to whomever is looking at it.
Do I want people to extract their own meaning from it? Sure, they are going to anyway... I guess what I want is something beyond wishy-washy convictions. IE: "I don't know, maybe it looks like a dinosaur?"
What in the abstract painting is going to do this? relative, typically color combination, compostition, flow of composition
How do the elements interact? I usually try to show some sort of movement... action. I feel it gets the brain moving, too.
Do I want to guide the viewer's interpretation with my choice of title? Sometimes. Sometimes I just give a dull title so the viewer can make up their own thoughts.
Do I want to write a statement to accompany the painting explaining how I created it, what my thoughts were while I made it, or what I see it conveying? Yes, but that is mostly for the search engines
Does it matter to me if they don't "get it"? Kind of, I'd rather they think they get what I was after, even if they were totally off base my thoughts, as long as they came up with something. Actually, though, if it is someone who doesn't venture mentally out of the realm of beavis and butthead, I guess I don't care what they think.

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RE: Abstract Art for Dummies... - 3/20/2008 12:52:06 PM

toucanne

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quote:

My abstract work ordinarily starts out with something not often contected to much emotion (...) but then takes on a life of its own

That's true of mine too. I concentrate on color and composition, and then let the painting lead me wherever. Only after starting to paint does the work elicit emotions in me, and then I try to convey those. But I rarely know before starting.

An exception would be the music challenge, because there was a theme that had to be followed. I had the iPod playing the entire time I was painting, and always kept the theme in mind.

Titles are important, even when there isn't one. They will guide the viewer's thinking. A lot of abstract works are "Untitled" precisely to not influence the viewer in any direction. I often have trouble naming things because a title automatically excludes some avenues of thinking, and I don't want to restrict my viewer to what I had in mind. I'd rather they made up their own. That said, I'm not crazy about the untrained eye's tendency to want to find known shapes and objects in every work of art. The human brain is more comfortable with the familiar, so when it sees nothing familiar, it tries to create it. Ideally, I would want people to approach my work with an open mind and let the piece talk to them.

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