Kandinsky Composition IV

Some say abstract art distorts form and figure from its true appearance while maintaining some reference to the original, while others claim no reference need to be had in abstract art. Abstract art is typically seen as a spontaneous art style, ebbs and flows on the tides of emotional with the creating artist.

Wassily Kandinsky is considered as the inventor of non-figurative art and in 1910 he created the first completely abstract work of art that had no reference to reality. Before Kandinsky, the practice of abstract art was conducted by those in the Jewish and Islamic religion, where depiction of the human form was prohibited.

In Russia, Kasimir Malewich exhibited abstract paintings with mostly geometrical forms but was considered a radical by Soviet authorities. He published his book Non-Objective World at the Bauhaus in 1927, but died without recognition in 1935.

Cubism is a form of abstract art that is more analytical in approach since it emphasizes form and structure over light and color. Cubism was a rebuttal to the impressionist period that paid more attention to these latter values. Inspired by Paul Cezanne, cubism took root in the hands of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

Neoplasticism is a very rigid form of abstract art based on the belief that art should not be a representation of real objects but an expression of the absolutes found in life, devoid of the artist's emotions. To Neoplasticism artists, the only absolutes in life were vertical and horizontal lines and the primary colors. Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg were the two foremost artists in this movement.

Abstract Expressionism came about in the United States in the post-war 1940's from the New York artists and explored morally loaded themes, tragic and on a grand scale. In Abstract Expressionism, individuality and spontaneous improvisation was valued among all else. In this abstract art form, artists typically worked feverishly, applying paints quickly to show feelings and emotions. Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning typify the artists of this era. Instead of an artist painting a picture, the picture is painting the artist. Or at least the painting is depicting the artist's inner turmoil and conflict.

So, it is no coincidence that abstract art expresses what no other art form can. Abstract art appreciation is also in the eye of the modern day beholder. When many novices view abstract art, they typically say, "I can do that!" But to the more savvy abstract art aficionado this statement is simply silly.

While it is true that many who view abstract art will say, "I don't understand it, but I know what I like and what I don't like" this is actually a fair statement. Abstract art is more emotionally evocative that other art forms. Those with a high emotional IQ will understand abstract art in a way others cannot. While abstract art can be intellectualized to a degree, at its core it is the emotional connect to the art piece and the artist that is most important.

While abstract art can be seen as a Seinfeld epside "about nothing" from one perspective, from another perspective, it stimulates the imagination to be about something. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to abstract art and the power of a piece may be defined by both is simplicity and complexity at the same time.

So, defining abstract art is an undertaking that few venture to do. Be assured though, that what is in the eye of the beholder is what is most important. If not, then what are we all doing here?