subject: Abstract Art From The Beginning Till Now [print this page] Abstract art means visual words used in any form, line or color to create a composition having exceptional life different from visual references. The illusion of perceptible reality was reproduced in the early times by the traditional European art previous to abstract art.
As other cultures became accessible over time, artists were exposed to other ways of showcasing their art. By the end of the 19th century, many artists wished to express their artwork in a more abstract way that would show the fundamental changes happening in technology, science, and philosophy.
Abstraction shows a departure from reality by depicting imagery in art. This deviation from reality can be anywhere along a continuum from slight to total abstraction. Freedom taken to alter any form or color makes artwork partially abstract.
When recreated artwork deviates from any resemblance to the original piece, then it is said to be a total abstraction. Because creating a perfect recreation of an object is next to impossible, an article claiming to be distinct is regarded as an abstract.
Earlier rocks, pottery, and even clothes were marked with symbols which were very simple, linear and in geometrical form revealing nice symbols and decoration. The purpose of such art was to confer the simple level of visual meaning, just as we like and get pleasure from the eye-catching Chinese writing or Islamic calligraphy even if we are not able to read and understand it.
In the 19th century, abstract art became familiar and widespread with the development of the three art movements of Romanticism, Impressionism, and Expressionism. This new art was primarily developed by James McNeil Whistler, who, in his painting Nocturne in Black and Gold: The falling Rocket (1872), gave more importance to visual sensation than the simple depiction of objects.
Expressionist painters created emotionally charged paintings that were reactions to their contemporary experience. They experimented with the bold use of the canvas, drawing exaggerations and distortions with intense colors.
Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, and Paul Cezanne practiced post Impressionism, which had a huge impact on the art of 20th century and resulted in the creation of 20th century abstraction.
Revolution in the Paris art world was brought by the well known painters Henri Matisse and Raoul Dufy, when they drew wild paintings of landscapes by using bold and expressive multi colors. Resemblance to the pure abstraction was seen in the paintings of Henri Matisse, namely French Window at Collioure (1914) and View of Notre-Dame (1914).
