June 7, 2016
Written by the editors of the Encyclopedia Brittanica: “Abstract art, also called nonobjective art or nonrepresentational art, painting, sculpture, or graphic art in which the portrayal of things from the visible world plays no part. All art consists largely of elements that can be called abstract—elements of form, colour, line, tone, and texture. Prior to the 20th century these abstract elements were employed by artists to describe, illustrate, or reproduce the world of nature and of human civilization—and exposition dominated over expressive function…. Abstract art has puzzled and indeed confused many people, but for those who have accepted its nonreferential language there is no doubt as to its value and achievements.”
Let’s look at an art critic’s alternate universe (and just so you know how my mind works I chose an art review based on a name of an abstract painter – how can one not explore the art of someone called Cy Twombly?) And I quote:
“It is a cliche that abstract art is distant from real life, impenetrable and remote. Twombly is an abstract painter who tells stories of love, longing and loss. His art is always tangy with experience – it drips life.” Jones refers here to a painting about Hera and Leander, dedicated to Christopher Marlowe, and interprets splotches of color quite convincingly as blood, misty seas, evocations of watery graves (true for all three referenced persons in one way or another.) Note that the references depend on your knowledge of myth and/or history, but references they are, red allegedly representing the bloody fate of Marlowe. Twombly’s paintings, which I have only explored on the web, are of astonishing beauty, storytelling or not. He died some years ago.
The lead montage, by the way, is part of my series On Transience that was exhibited last year at the Oregon Jewish Museum. The subject matter concerned the nature of Jewish emigration, and the transient psychological state that comes with displacement in general.
Where does all this leave the quest for understanding abstract art? Yesterday we learned the canon has been challenged; today we find that accepted definitions of the nonrepresentational nature of abstract art is confronted with claims of a representational narrative structure inherent to it after all. Did someone mention confusion?
Mike O'Brien
Hi, Friderike–
I think us humans are built to seek and complete patterns in everything we sense, so we try to find order we can comprehend in all that we see, including artworks. Once upon a time, artists took advantage of this pattern seeking behavior to make two-dimensional representations seem convincingly three-dimensional, like early versions of virtual reality. An artist like Canaletto really wanted us to be totally convinced we were standing with him on the Grand Canal in Venice, seeing exactly what he saw. The artist had total control of the pattern and the viewer’s response in that type of art. Abstract art is obviously non-representational within the context of that tradition, but it *is* representational in that it triggers the pattern-seeking response in us. In abstract art, the artist loosens control over the viewer’s experience, or maybe suggests a response, as you point out above. Personally, I wonder if a human artist is capable of making anything truly abstract, because it would have no meaning to anyone except possibly a drug addict.
Have you encountered the idea of Apollonian and Dionysian extremes? Apollo being the symbol for rational orderly thought, and Dionysius of emotional, intuitive thought? At one extreme, absolute symmetry and pattern is boring because it leaves no room for personal interpretation (imposing our own personal pattern recognition) while at the other, emotion shades into unintelligible chaos, where no pattern can be found–very threatening!
So abstract art thrives in the space where humans can find patterns, where it is fun and intriguing to draw on our own fund of experiences. For example, Cy Twombly’s painting looks to me like a detail from a Monet with some fuschias and water. If there is a strong emotional response, I bet that its seeds were already in the viewer’s mind, even if unconscious, before they ever encountered the art that triggered it.
I wish there were a way to post images in the responses to your emails, there’s so many interesting threads where an image would really help illustrate an idea. But, even so, I am really enjoying your shared thoughts!
friderikeheuer@gmail.com
Thanks, Mike! I learn from the responses just as much. We’ll explore the topic of pattern seeking further in this week!