Where Does The Best Abstract Art Come From?
If you search for Abstract Art Ideas results will immediately throw you a host of copy and paste blog results. None promote any real ideas at all.
The best ideas come from a place these marketers do not understand. They are not artists.
I will change those results here and now. Abstract Art by its nature connects to something other than throwing things on a canvass. This is about perspective in art.
It is not something you just try. It is something you feel. It is emotion.
Note that this article is founded for the purpose of use by artists in the creation of original work. It is not intended to be used as a format by designers.
First Abstract Artists
The first abstract artists who came onto the scene within the early 1900s began to experiment with new ideas. The why behind Abstract Art is as important as what it is.
It was a break away from the Victorian Era Art as minds began to shift from Art Nouveau and into the Art Deco world.
Who the first abstract artist was is arguable. Wassily Kandinsky fought ardently to claim this position but to no avail. There is no way to know for certain which was first. This brings us to a deeper element within the art.
There have always been elements of abstract concepts which have been placed into art across time. Sometimes they were hidden, masked, or shaded by color to emphasize something.
This emphasis may have been something only the artist could understand. Ultimately for many it was the emotions which the artist wished to place within a work.
We can look over the last 100 years to see how abstract concepts have influenced art. Figurative Art within its wide spectrum of application is a testament to this fact.
Why Are These Concepts Focused On Emotion?
The elites of the educational community can argue all they wish on what makes Abstract Art what it is. Vincent Van Gogh was well known for incorporating abstract elements within his work.
It was no secret that it was his emotions which brought this practice to define what his work was. Among the elements used was color and lack of shape often found within the negative space of his art.
It is due to his and others works that led to the exploration of what the art would become. Unfortunately due to depression Van Gogh took his life at an all too early age.
Yet the impact of what he left behind would aid in altering the landscape of art. It is a foundation for what modern Depression Art gives us now.
The why behind what makes Abstract Art so powerful with emotions is due to its nonrepresentational aspect. It can be whatever the artist wishes it to be.
Shape and form are elements which can exist or not exist. Yet it must become a reflection of something. It is that hidden composition which is wrapped by the story of the art.
As the concept must have a source, the answer to what it reflects is obvious. The art will ultimately be a part of what the artist feels.
How they choose to display that artistic expression in the canvas is a choice that is not limited by definitions.
Abandon The Queried Results
If you are an artist seeking out new Abstract Art Ideas you must abandon the copy and past results. There are thousands of pages seeking to gain attention merely for attentions sake.
Authentic original work cannot be found in a search result.
New ideas come from two places. The first is the why behind your art. It will be within the emotion that you wish to communicate.
The second is within the application, technique, or medium you choose.
Obtaining these ideas requires multiple elements. Ultimately each element is found in a discovery process through time.
Where Do The Best Abstract Art Ideas Come From?
Art Appreciation is where the best ideas come from. For those who do not fully understand the scope of what appreciation is, it is the study of art.
More specifically the study of the art form which is related to what you seek to achieve.
Rather than sorting through the thousands of Pinterest ideas and assorted blogs, there is a better way to find results. Study artists of history who used this art or elements of it to great effect within their lifetime.
In the end what you obtain will pay dividends to your authentic composition. You will more readily create your own Abstract Art Ideas.
In this way rather than duplicating a random nothing found in media you instead become an original idea. Your creativity should never be limited by the results from a search query.
Rather the insight and reflection of greater art can inspire the future ideas you will have.
Names such as Helen Frankenthaler or Mark Rothko should be on your list to get to know. What defined the works of these artists was deeper than a 5 minute read from a blog.
Basic Understanding Of Abstract Art
The term Abstract Art today is used as a catch all term which houses many different forms of art. It can have both representational and nonrepresentational elements.
The older boundaries of art were broken long ago.
If you search online you will often find a definition of Abstract Art which more accurately defines Nonrepresentational or Nonobjective Art. The former is a set and the latter a subset of its parent.
While not wrong in definition it is limited within its scope.
More accurate definitions to be found incorporate ideas such as “it does not attempt to accurately represent a depiction of visual reality”.
Further accurate definitions allow for “the incorporation of shape, form, color, and lines to create a composition with an independence from references within the world”.
As you can see, defining what this art is can be subjective to who is attempting to define it and when in history this definition was attempted. Ultimately it is a visual language based upon emotion.
What Elements Will You Use For Abstract Art Ideas?
The most common art elements used for these ideas will come from shape, form, color, and the line. Not all must be used within an Abstract Art Idea. Yet commonly at least two will be present.
The most consistent element used among artists is color. Some works may lack shape while others have it. The line may or may not be used. Yet color always connects intimately to the emotions.
Here we look to Van Gogh. It was his use of color and shape which connected so powerfully with the public.
No matter the setting which was depicted you could feel the perception he held of that scene. Color is among the most powerful elements within your toolbox for abstract art.
Shape will be the second most powerful tool among the elements. A shape does not have to represent something from our physical world. Yet the work can incorporate known objects or symbols.
If shape is present most often so will also be the line. This is typically within a two dimensional art. Form speaks to objects created of a three dimensional nature such as sculptures or carvings.
Abstract art of a sculpted, carved, or crafted nature will always have Form yet can at times be left undefined. In other words the creation itself does not have to represent known objects, but you are not limited in that known objects can be used in many ways.
Creating An Abstract Art Idea
Understanding the elements and mediums to be used within this idea, one can begin to tap into the emotion of the artistic expression.
The feel is more important in the beginning than the visual. By the end of the composition the visual then becomes important in communicating that feeling.
The art in of itself is a vehicle. It is communication. This communication is not using words and often is minimal in representational elements.
Knowing this, the process of creation itself is different than other arts. Thinking, analyzing, calculating, and planning the art is often counterproductive to its outcome. In short, it is the art of “No Mind”.
Abstract Art flows rather than being formed by construct. This does not mean that a construct cannot or does not exist. There is certainly a collaboration or symbiotic existence which the two can share. Here the two wrap around one another to become the art.
Wrapping The Abstract Art Idea Into A Construct
Using symbols or shape can aid in communicating this art. This wrapping will contain the nonobjective aspects within the space. It can act as a container or is used in conjunction with the idea as a symbol.
The question becomes what objects, recognizable or not, aid in depicting this emotion? Among the greatest influences of this wrapping is the use of space.
The amount of focus given to the object or the nonobjective aspects will aid in defining what is of greater focus.
It is here that a push and pull effect can take place. The chaos of emotion meeting the physical world in what impacts how the artist feels. In this can be depicted the struggle we face internally from external pressures.
A positive spin can also be placed on this wrapping. Emotions such as love, happiness, contentment, and joy can be used with this same impact. It is the artist who will define this mix of elements to convey what words or images cannot.
Does The Composition Communicate As Intended?
As the art comes near to its completion the artist should be able to see if the composition communicates as they have desired. This is something which should be seen as the art begins to take shape or form through time.
Near its completion the art should be able to create the necessary impression upon a third party. Do not expect this impression to be interpreted perfectly as one may wish or expect it to be.
This art form is subjective to begin with and interpretation will vary from person to person.
The question becomes, does the key essence of the emotion translate to recognizable emotion to another person? If that emotion is related then there is a great deal of measurable success.
Hidden Messages Within Your Art
Throughout time artists have been hiding messages within their art. It has been said that Michelangelo hid many meanings or ideas within his art on the Sistine Chapel. It is much easier to hide meaning or context within Abstract Ideas for us mere common artists.
These hidden meanings are often very personal in nature. They are not intended to be known or interpreted. At times it is intended for the idea to be seen within the composition but never defined by the artist.
Here is a place where great satisfaction can be had for the artist when their work is known by others. This satisfaction is exponential when the composition itself is mused upon or questioned as to its meaning.
One Idea Will Create A Method
If one mentions a name such as Picasso an image will immediately come to mind which defines his work as an artist. Earlier I used the name Van Gogh, here the same will happen for those who know his work.
In studying the works of artists you will often see early within their life a search for something. It was a search for “their idea”. A method which would ultimately define them would form and take shape. This occurs across time.
As an artist continues to cultivate their work exploring different ideas this method will begin to reveal itself. It will become a signature by which the artist is known and is unique to them.
This natural evolution is in the end what every artist seeks. No matter the type, style, or medium which is used the idea of who the artist is shines through.
Where My Concept On Abstract Art Comes From
Before I began down the path to wood art I explored Abstract Art. It was my first art which I exposed myself to and studied. By no means will I ever be as great or grand as the names of history. Nevertheless I became well acquainted with its path.
Most artists have held multiple paths within art if they have been involved within it long. Ultimately my path went to working with wood rather than canvass and brush. My mind required another dimensional feel to the work of my hands.
The importance to noting this here is that due to my history, I feel it is important for every artist to explore Abstract Art. There are things which one learns about communicating through your work that will carry over into the art which you are passionate about. This should not be overlooked.