What Abstract Painting is All About

Perhaps you've seen a lot of paintings already and out of the paintings you've seen, you appreciate only a few of them. You see, there are different painting styles and techniques used by painters. One of these styles is abstract painting. When you say abstract painting, not many appreciate it probably because of its different style and not so ordinary appearance. But despite the oddness of such painting style, you should not judge it at first sight. Instead, you should try to understand why it was painted.

Abstract painting started hundreds of years ago. There are famous abstract paintings housed in museums. Private collectors who love abstract painting also have some of them. Abstract paintings are good investments as well as collection items. You'll never know how much a certain painting would cost in the future and with the great awareness and appreciation of people nowadays for abstract painting, even you can't tell a paintings value. Some of the famous abstract painters were Picasso, Van Gogh, and Modigliani. Because of these artist's beautiful works, abstract painting became even more famous.

Do you know what abstract painting is? This type of painting can be defined in various ways. Unlike traditional paintings, abstract painting doesn't portray reality. Before, painting was all about depicting a realistic or photographic expression of something or someone. However, abstract paintings are a lot different. The painting itself does not illustrate real objects. The shapes and colors shown in abstract paintings are non-objective and non-representing. The painting may refer to a person or to any other individual, anything, or even nothing. If you can't understand the meaning of a particular painting, you can ask the experts or even the painter about its meaning. Natural art lovers on the other hand, don't need explanations because if they love abstract paintings, they will understand clearly the significance of the painting.

Try to look at an abstract painting. You will see bright, vivid, and bold colors. Aside from the colors, you will also note that the painting has biometric shapes. For art lovers, this is a beautiful and strange piece.

Way back in 1940, Abstract Expressionism is a movement pushed through by the artists. The artists and painters supported abstract painting and they wanted the freedom of expression through the paintings they made. This made abstract painting more popular. The movement began in a particular school in New York and the movement was also called Action Painting. Among the American schools that joined the movement declared their independence from the artworks of European style. After this, abstract painting was pushed forward.

In order to understand and appreciate abstract painting, you must know its humble beginnings. Even if abstract painting is quite odd, you should still learn to love it because its part of history and it is still a painting which expresses the thoughts and feelings of painters. You can get paintings like this in art galleries online and local art shops. Some are quite expensive but there are also cheap ones. You can get replicas of the original classic abstract paintings made by the famous painters by purchasing them in certain companies that commission this kind of painting style.

Try to conduct a research about abstract painting. You can find many resources online so that you will understand more about this painting style. A painting is not always a representation of a specific object or person and that is exactly what abstract painting is all about.

Abstract Art as Therapy

Abstract art is not just a mixture of colourful meaningless patterns and arbitrary shapes.

There is, I believe, a definate therapeutic value to be found in most of the enigmatic marks made by the very different styles available today. What appears to be the most important decision to make is a very careful consideration of the specific audience in conjunction with the choosing of the appropriate artwork. This is not something to be taken lightly or quickly. This can cover anybody within the wide spectrum of individual audiences: a busy boardroom environment or a single office or room where quick thinking, fast reactions, and serious decision making is required; or a worker who returns from a hard days work simply wanting to be visually massaged by an easily observed enigma; or even the space inwhich the desperate and mostly misunderstood person who is gradually loosing their tentative hold on the sense of reality. There is a tremendous variety of possibilities.

Here are some suggested associations from one artists point of view:

Colour plays an obvious healing and therapeutic role to be found in a carefully selected crafted piece, and so colour-field work, which is growing in popularity, first conceived by artists like Mark Rothko and Ellsworth Kelly with their vast areas of empty colour space, might add a general feeling of peace and quiet to an otherwise noisy and hectic environment. With there being very few variations within such a large image a gentle sense of immersion into abstract stillness can slow down any fretful or irratic thinking, and even assist with the adrenal challenge of a creative.

Indefinate shapes or patterns by the likes of Jackson Pollock, Peter Lanyon, and Howard Hodgkin (again, similar works inspired by these very different abstract styles can be seen in many exhibitions, shops and galleries), show a very positive association, and may perhaps persuade a mind filled with illogical thoughts to pause, simply take in the apparent spontenaiety, and then take a different direction. Hodgkin style works in particular can be seen as puzzle like canvases inwhich the observer has no real point of reference so is free to "start" anywhere upon the picture. And because there are very few defined areas sometimes the observer inevitably finds themself either regarding the piece with little emotion, and therefore can freely make a comment - positive or not.

Let us not deny, however, the fact that many an image that has the potential to provoke a negative response can also be of great value to the observer who might actually benefit from seeing such a challenging picture that bears such a bad association. Better there on the wall than here inside the head. In this case the classic associations of red for blood and danger, black for death and sin, brown for decay and illness, along with dramatic lines and movements found in a painting are equally valuable stimulii if revealed within the appropriate environment. This comes back to my point made at the beginning - when choosing a picture, very careful consideration must be taken in order to find that one work of art which speaks directly to the very deepest parts of the observer.

How to Paint an Abstract Image

Perhaps the title would be better as the question I have so often heard: "How can I produce an abstract image?"

I intend to lead you into those dark secret places filled with wonderful tantilizing enigmas, where we will find all the passionate inspiration and the great variety of techniques required for you to be able to produce an astounding work of art .

So ... how do you do it?

I need to ask you a slightly different question in order for us to move forward upon this slippery creative path.

Why?

Why do you want to produce an abstract?

... here is a list of answers which I would like you to read and then decide which, if any, loosely fit your reason for wanting to do it:

1. No reason ... I just want to. 2. It looks so easy ... and it would be nice for something to go with the decor. 3. In order to make money ... lots of it! 4. I feel compelled to ... like I really need to. 5. I have visions; dreams; day dreams; thoughts; I hear voices; I am being told to by an inner something ... and these need to be brought into the material world. 6. Therapy ... this is an opportunity for venting my aggression; bolstering my lack of self confidence; visualising my inner turmoil. 7. I want to express myself ... in a strictly personal way.

This is by no means a complete list ... you may well have completely different reasons, but this is a start.

So ... which one did you tick?

Lets have a look at them in a bit more detail:

1. This is the answer of the anarchist. A very valid reason for wanting to work abstractly ... you already have within you an angry boiling cauldron, and the potential to produce truly opposing and dramatically random works. However, this requires brut strength of will, and the blinding power of obstinancy for it to work for you.

2. One of the most common misconceptions. It is NOT easy to produce an abstract work ... it IS easy to produce a mess! This will only lead to frustration, depression, and bitterness ...then you will be an a far better position to produce something like a true abstract work.

3. There are literally millions of people producing the most amazing pieces ... and none of them are rich, famous ... even earning any money at all. I stand by my belief that what I paint is not about money - it can never be. Try again.

4. An interesting answer ... the driven series worker attitude. Dangerous yet compelling. You are destined to succeed ... but success will have no meaning or interest for you and will not help you. Yet the compulsion will take you deep into darkness (not scarey darkness but mysterious darkness) where you will find more questions.

5. The surrealist. Abstraction will not be too difficult for you ... as long as you relax a little. Do not allow the explicitness of sights blind you to the potential, and more appropriate imagery, of the arbitrary joining of coincidences.

6. Here is the answer for the purist abstract producer. Inner tensions, inexplicable fears, and blinding mental flashes all contribute to a truly innovative palette.

7. The fearless explorer ... well, that is what you will expect of yourself, but you had better tread carefully. Are you prepared to hear people telling you how much they hate your work ... so much so that they want to destroy it? ... even then are you still willing to carry on?

How do you feel? Still want to carry on and produce that masterpiece? Yes? Then here is some practical work until the next article.

Get a sketchbook, ensure you make at least one mark of some kind on one page every day. Go to galleries (online ones aswell), take your sketchbook to make any observationss or scribbles. If you are a little hesitant about mark making then here is a very useful exercise:

Get an A4 sheet of paper and a pencil; find a watch, clock or timer that measures seconds, Set the timer for 15 seconds, place the paper and pencil on a table, making sure the table is clear of any objects other than the paper, pencil, and timer ... have a chair ready to sit on at the table.

Reach out for a nearby object that you can place upon the table ... it can be anything from a mobile phone to a magazine ... and, without thinking simply place it onto the table - sit down, start the timer ... and look at the object for five seconds (DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRAW IT). Consider shape, texture, space, highlights, lowlights, tone, tints - pay special attention to the outline of the object. Once five seconds is up start drawing ... you have ten seconds to to try to capture what you have just been looking at.

Lets face it ... you are not going to produce a masterpiece! So do not even try. I want you to simply capture the dynamics of what you see ... no more.

Repeat that six times. Each time try to slow down and draw a purposeful line - no hesitant scratches. Why draw twenty little marks when you can draw one big one.