You find yourself inside one of the renowned art galleries in the world: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), located in New York City. In front of you stands a painting that stretches from wall to wall, covered in what appears to be random splashes of paint. You look at the name tag: “Number 31” by Jackson Pollock. You think to yourself “I guess this looks neat” and move on. You continue your walk through the museum wondering “Why do we have a museum for something I can do myself?” Welcome to the world of abstract art!
To understand what abstract art is you must first understand what it isn’t. Representational art, the counterpart to abstract art, is what you typically assume a painting to be. For example, a picture of a tree, house, or person that you can confidently identify without much further thought. For most of human history artists and art connoisseurs were primarily concerned with ‘WHAT’ was being depicted on the canvas, often working with visual metaphors. In contrast, abstract art is focused on ‘HOW’ things are depicted on canvas. How was the paint applied? Where was it applied? How big is the brush stroke? Which colours were chosen? When analysing abstract art, think about what do these things remind you of. In short, Abstract art is a fundamentally different language than representational art and it has not been made accessible to general audiences.
The development of abstract art has been crucial to the history of art. In the 20th century, artists began to free themselves from the constraints of academia in favour of experimentation, paving the way for abstraction in the global art scene. Despite abstract art being extremely important in the history of art, it remains largely misunderstood by the general public. Abstract art has often been delegated to gallery spaces and curated museum installations which historically have often barred certain people and artists due to the prevalence of issues of elitism, nepotism, racism, and misogyny in the industry. Thus, abstract art has often occupied several different inaccessible spaces, disconnecting with a possible audience. Due to this separation, most people were not taught and are not familiar on how to fully engage and understand abstract art.
But do not fret! Learning the difference between representational art and abstract art is already the first step into making your museum visits much more enjoyable! Now that the viewpoint has been shifted from what is in a painting but to how it was made, you can begin to understand the language of abstract art. For example with French artist Yves Klein (1928-1962), who painted one of the most famous singular colour paintings, which can be defined as a canvas that is painted with a singular colour. Remarkably, Klein invented the pigment that he would use for his work. Developing a brand-new pigment is not a simple task. Understanding the process helps elevate the art experience. Ask yourself, “What did this journey mean to the artist? To me?”.
Why? Why was something made? Finding out the motivations behind an artist’s work can enhance understanding and clarity. “Comedian” by Maurizio Catalan and the print of “Banksy’s a Girl with Balloon”. Two works in direct dialogue and critique with the Fine-Art industry. Comedian is the infamous banana taped to a wall priced at around six million dollars (US), and has ironically been eaten more than once by museum goers. While there is a lot to criticize about the work, it was specifically made with the intent of poking fun at the increasing ridiculousness of conceptual art pieces. Meanwhile, Banksy’s work, also known as “Love is in the Bin”, was designed to self-destruct upon being sold at an auction malfunctioned. Elevating the price of a piece meant to criticize the art auction space.
Being puzzled by a piece of art is a natural part of the process of consuming abstract art for the first time. There is an argument to be made that an artwork should be able to stand on its own regardless of artistic intent. However, it is important to remember that artists are a reflection of their lived environment and the politics of the world. Artist research or consulting in local museum curators and galleries is the perfect way to satisfy your craving for answers in the unknown world of abstract art.