Abstract painting explained – Part 6

In reference to the Fine Arts the dictionary defines Abstract art as pertaining to the nonrepresentational art styles of the 20th century.Thus the one thing that all abstract art has

in common is that it does not have to look like {or represent} that which it is about. Abstract

artists seek to create a feeling rather than a likeness. So how do you explain this type of painting?

First of all it is spontaneous but not haphazard. Several things must be taken into consideration when beginning such a painting.

1.initial composition…shape and balance

2.color scheme…establish the colors that will be used

3.medium….what type of paint will be used

4.theme…what is being expressed in the painting

5.sketch…to sketch or not to sketch out the initial outlines of the picture.

As an art teacher ,I have demonstrated abstract painting in my classes for years.

Each student begins with a clean canvas and acrylic paints (They clean up easier than oils}.

The younger the student the easier abstract painting is for them. A six year old just goes for it

while a twelve year old will usually be stiff and careful. We talk about the famous artists in this genre like Picasso and Jackson Pollock. We look at their radically different styles and marvel at the variety in abstract painters.

The young ones want to paint like Pollock and throw colors at the canvas. But there is so much more to his work than that. We analyze his style and the depth of feeling his work brings forth. His biography helps us understand his paintings. The movie, Pollock, is also very enlightening.

Many times a painter chooses the abstract venue to create a more powerful effect than realism

might make. Picasso for instance,used the abstract form to get across the devastation of war in his famous painting, Guernica. Picasso was a fine portrait artist but he wanted the shocking

strength of unusual shapes and forms. He needed to get the attention of the world and he did so in a dramatic way using distortion.Thus Guernica has become the most important political painting of all time.

Abstract art is a language all its own. It speaks to each one of us in a different way.

It is a universal form of communication just like music. And just as each individual has his or her own musical preferences, so we each one enjoy different kinds of art. Art doesn’t need an explanation. It exists for its own sake. Who needs to have a rose explained to them or a rainbow or a butterfly? They just are and we are glad. Expose your mind to abstract art

and enjoy!