Andrew Schoenfeld - Abstract art

Abstract art is art that does not attempt to represent an accurate

depiction of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colours, forms and
gestural marks to achieve its effect.

Introduction to abstract art

The word abstract strictly speaking means to separate or withdraw
something from something else. Abstract art is art which is not
representational, it could be based on a subject or may have no
source at all in the external world.

Drawn from reality vs pure abstraction

The term abstract art can be applied to art that is based an
object, figure or landscape, where forms have been simplified or
schematised to create an abstracted version of it. Cubist and
fauvist artists depended on the visual world for their subject
matter but opened the door for more extreme approaches
to abstraction.
The term is also applied to art that uses forms, such as
geometric shapes or gestural marks, which have no source at all
in an external visual reality. Some artists of this pure abstraction
have preferred terms such as concrete art or non-objective art, but
in practice the word abstract is used across the board and the
distinction between the two is not always obvious.
Pioneers of pure abstract painting were Kazimir Malevich and Piet
Mondrian from about 191020. A pioneer of abstract sculpture, which
took reference from the modern world was the Russian constructivist
Naum Gabo. Since then abstract art has formed a central stream of
modern art.

Further reading

DLA Piper Series: The Twentieth Century

Jump to the second floor of this exhibition which was at Tate Liverpool
in 2007, to look at the abstract artists of the twentieth century.
A brief history of abstract art with Turner, Mondrian and more
Read our feature which gives quick tour through the history of abstract
art, taking in some unexpected pioneers such as Turner and Matisse.

The theories behind abstract art

There are many theoretical ideas behind abstract art. Art for arts sake
that art should be purely about the creation of beautiful effects, is
one of the main theories. That art can or should be like music is
another theory in that just as music is patterns of sound, arts effects
should be created by pure patterns of form, colour and line. The idea,
derived from the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, that the highest
form of beauty lies not in the forms of the real world but in geometry, is
also used in discussion of abstract art as is the idea that abstract art,
to the extent that it does not represent the material world, can be seen
to represent the spiritual.
In general abstract art is often seen as carrying a moral dimension, in
that it can be seen to stand for virtues such as order, purity, simplicity
and spirituality.