ABSTRACT ART: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, PAINTING - ART - 2025

The abstract art is any art form that detaches from any real representation, in order to create a completely different space to the natural. This feeling of abstraction is obtained through the use of different geometric shapes, as well as points, lines and pure colors.

Abstractionism as an artistic current is also known as non-figurative art; This means that this style has no point of contact with traditional representative art. Despite this, this distance from reality does not imply a denial of it, but rather proposes an opposition or a contrast.

The Horseman, by Wassily Kandinsky, 1911

According to connoisseurs, to understand abstract art it is necessary to know how to distinguish between figuration and abstraction, since they are totally opposite concepts. For this reason, when these artistic notions are assimilated, it is easy to differentiate between an abstract work and a figurative work.

Abstraction and figuration

The phenomenon of abstraction is manifested when it is not possible to associate the created element with any element existing in reality.

For example, if the image of a tree is taken and it is blurred or modified, this artistic game cannot be considered abstraction, since the image still preserves the essence of the original figure; that is, it remains figurative.

On the other hand, images that do not have any real reference can be taken as an abstraction. In the field of abstract art there are several aspects, such as geometric abstraction, formalism and expressionist abstraction. However, they are all related in terms of the absence of the real referent.

Those figures related to dreams cannot be considered as abstraction either since, despite the fact that surreal images may arise in dreams and nightmares (for example, a unicorn), it still maintains references that can be found in reality (in the case unicorn, it is a horse with a horn).

Distance from the figurative world

Abstractionism radically changed the artistic world, because before this event, art had remained under the tutelage of figuration despite the fact that during the 19th and 20th centuries the form had begun to blur through other movements such as impressionism., Post-Impressionism and Cubism.

From the time when man painted in caves, art remained a quest to represent reality.

Until the 20th century, the artist had not been able to detach himself from his environment and context, so abstract art allowed an opening in the episteme of a historical moment that aspired to great social changes and aesthetic renewal.

Abstraction can be associated with music, since sounds cannot be figurative (despite musical nomenclature). Colors and shapes are also abstract, offering a wide range of possibilities that don't necessarily have to have a real sender.

Origin and history

Abstract art has its origins in earlier movements such as Cubism and Fovism; however, there is one painting in particular that served as the starting point for the separation between the representation of real objects and the visual perception of colors.

This work belongs to the painter James McNeill Whistler and is titled Night in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket. In this painting from 1874 you can see a range of dark colors and it is difficult to find human forms or architectural constructions directly.

What is easily appreciated are the brushstrokes of light and shadow, as well as the golden points that seem to evoke a fireworks display.

Influence of Cubism, Expressionism and Fovism

With the appearance of the works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, a forceful entrance was allowed to the geometric forms and the flat colors. Likewise, Paul Cézanne also ventured into the creation of an alternate reality; that is, he worked on a reconstruction of the figurative.

In turn, the expressionist artists took it upon themselves to exploit - even in a grotesque way - the intensity of the color palette and shapes. His paintings are considered by critics as an overflow of passions, which manifested themselves in a reactionary way before a time of great social consternation.

Similarly, a work like The Scream by Edward Munch is essential for the development of what later became the abstract or non-figurative art of the 20th century. The painting entitled The Entry of Christ into Brussels, by James Ensor is also taken into account.

Other great avant-garde exponents, such as Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse and Georges Seurat, are considered a key inspiration for the one who later became the greatest representative of abstractionism, Vasili Kandinsky.

This is because the language of raw color, together with its different brushstrokes, strongly influenced the renowned pioneer.

From Baudelaire to Mallarmé: attempt to distance himself from the referent

In the world of writing, different movements were also brewing with the purpose of breaking with the established and ending any real reference. In the field of letters, this separation was a bit more difficult, since in the human mind words will always seek to be supported by their referent.

However, these poets achieved the link with the interiority of the form through the acoustic image of the word, detaching themselves from the concept to which it refers.

The great modern poet Charles Baudelaire was in charge of sowing the seeds of the idea that all the senses react to certain artistic stimuli, since these are connected by a deep aesthetic level that resides within the subconscious of the human being.

In other words, all the arts have the ability to awaken certain sensations in the eye, in the ear and in the mind of the person who perceives them, without the need to respond to a real referent.

Likewise, the renowned French poets such as Stéphane Mallarmé, Arthur Rimbaud and Guillaume Apollinaire sought to distance themselves from the referential form to focus on the enjoyment of the sound of words and on what these can evoke in the reader without having to refer to a concept.

This means that it is about modifying the mental structure of the reader so that he detaches himself from the established parameters and dares to combine and create different sensations through the sound of the syllables. Therefore, it is an abstraction within writing.

Claude Debussy's musical watercolors

As the musical ancestor of what was later abstract art is the great composer Claude Debussy, whose musical pieces seemed to imitate the brushstrokes of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters.

In the same way, this composer is also associated with the Symbolist movement, since his notes were made up of a strong allegorical charge, accompanied in turn by a notable oriental influence.

This means that, for musicians like Debussy and Erik Satie, the objects that are observed in everyday life are only symbols that respond to a much deeper reality, which manifests itself to the human being through sound accompanied by color and movement..

Characteristics of abstract art

Seeks to capture the essence

Although it has different aspects, the abstractionist movement is characterized mainly by the search for the primitive essence of objects.

Therefore, abstract art tries to capture in its artistic manifestations the exploration of consciousness and unconsciousness at its purest levels.

Freedom

Another of its main characteristics is the freedom of application of techniques and elements, and the significance of those resources.

For example, this clearly applies in the color field: colors have their own artistic expressiveness, without the need to refer to a real concept.

Absence of real forms

Abstractionism lacks real forms; only geometric figures are used, since it is a style that appeals to a totalizing simplicity of form.

Painting

-Vasili Kandinsky

For many critics, abstract art begins with the works of Vasili Kandinsky; However, it should be noted that in 1910 some French veined marbles became famous, which can be considered as the beginning of abstraction.

However, according to connoisseurs, the importance of Kandinsky within the history of art is undeniable. This painter had a legacy of oriental blood, which he used as inspiration for his works.

In addition, the same artist admitted to having been inspired by the mythical cathedrals of Moscow; According to him, the colorful architecture of the city was composed of artistic clashes in external appearance, which reflected a harmonious aesthetic and cultural interiority.

During his artistic work, Kandinsky advocated the search for the primeval essence of form. For this reason, his work can be summarized in three words: color, perception and sensation.

Consequently, it can be established that abstract art is a concession that presupposes a mystical condition of the absolute; that is to say, it is committed to a continuous ideological and philosophical evolution.

The Horseman, by Vasili Kandinsky

The first abstract watercolor

To achieve the aesthetic totality of these three assumptions, the author promoted the use of basic plastic elements, such as the point -primary element within the pictorial work-, the line, the plane and the color.

Through the associations and links between these elements, he obtained new and different perceptions or sensations for the human eye.

Taking this into account, it can be said that abstract art was born in 1910 with the first abstract watercolor by Kandinsky. In this painting you can see colored forms, lines and plastic values ​​without association with realities; In other words, it is a work composed of non-figurative elements.

In addition, if the viewer looks closely at this work, he can perceive that the painting is composed mostly of primary and secondary colors, mainly blue and red. Brushstrokes of grayish tones also stand out, which causes a contrast with the liveliness of the other colors.

Kandinsky abstract watercolor

-Piet Mondrian

This renowned Dutch painter did not specialize in his beginnings in abstractionism, but first worked on other styles such as naturalism and symbolism. Despite the plurality of styles, his plastic arts remained influenced by his philosophical and spiritual studies.

In the search to find the vital essence of things, Mondrian played in a particular way with geometric abstraction in order to find the basic structuring of the universe in his paintings.

For this reason, his works are denoted mainly by the color white -which is considered a “non-color” due to the total presence of light and all colors- and by the color black, also considered a “no- color ”due to the total absence of light and the presence of all colors.

One of his most famous works, also linked to abstract architecture, is the painting entitled Composition in red, yellow, blue and black, which he made in 1921.

In this you can see a series of rectangular figures of different sizes and colors; However, the palette is quite basic and primary: as the name implies, it is the colors red, yellow, blue and black, which may be reminiscent of the paintings of the expressionist Mark Rothko.

Composition in red, yellow, blue and black, by Piet Mondrian

Sculpture

Sculpture was not far behind within the abstractionist movement; in fact, it introduced a novelty within the style: three-dimensionality. This happened because in abstract painting the figures are always flat, while in sculpture the depth of form is promoted.

-Henry Moore

One of its main exponents was the British sculptor Henry Moore, whose monochrome figures seem to have movement and maintain a slight romantic and Victorian inspiration, according to the same artist.

Moore also admitted to being influenced by great Renaissance artists such as Giotto, Michelangelo, and Giovanni Pisano. In addition, the author was amazed by the forms of the pre-Columbian Toltec and Mayan sculptures.

Its many abstract forms were carved mainly in marble and bronze. At the beginning of his career, Moore applied direct carving; however, during the 1940s the sculptor decided to start with plaster or clay molding, and also applied the traditional and ancient "lost wax" molding.

Waves

His sculptures have as main characteristic the use of undulating forms and empty spaces, an inspiration that, according to critics, he acquired from the landscapes of the English county of Yorkshire, his native land.

Despite the fact that abstract painting advocates the elimination of the figurative, in Henry Moore's works one can perceive abstractions that are not completely detached from the human figure. You can even distinguish the representation of the female body and maternal figures.

One of Moore's best known works is called Three Way Piece No. 2, which is located in the Toronto City Hall Plaza and was made in 1964.

This monochrome sculptural piece is one of those that best fits the precepts of abstraction, since its shape cannot be directly linked to any real reference.

Three Way Piece No. 2 (The Archer) (1964-65) Toronto City Hall Plaza

-Richard Serra

Another great exponent of abstract sculpture is the renowned plastic artist Richard Serra, of American nationality. This artist, who is still alive, is considered by critics as one of the best sculptors of our time.

Serra is a sculptor with a minimalist character who prefers to work with huge pieces of platinum steel, which makes his aesthetic work more admirable.

The first stage of the artist is the one that best corresponds to the abstractionist ideals, for which he used mostly molten lead material.

Steel works

He is also known for making large rectangular steel structures. One of the most famous is the so-called Tilted Arc, which is 3.5 meters high and has a suggestive and subtle curvature. This sculpture can be seen today in the Federal Plaza in New York City.

Another abstract sculpture highly acclaimed by artistic critics is known as Snake, which is made up of three layers of steel that also have a curvature (the curves within the geometric shapes are the most representative characteristics of this artist). The work is located in the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

One of the most recognized and best-worked works of Serra is called The Matter of Time, which is made up of seven remarkable large sculptures, made of the artist's favorite material: corten steel.

These figures are made up entirely of round and oblique shapes, which is reminiscent of the shapes of nature and the round and deceptive character of time as a human construction.

Tilted Arc

Architecture

During the 20th century, a search for the essence and primitive forms also manifested within the architectural discipline. For this reason, in abstract architecture geometric and flat figures dominate, also carried out in a minimalist style.

At the same time, the architecture belonging to this aesthetic style tries to approach the true value of the form, detaching it from the chaos and the arbitrary of everyday reality. Within these elements, the architectural piece is inspired by nature but increasingly emerges in its search for the simplicity of the artistic spirit.

In architecture it is necessary to adjust the principles of pictorial abstraction since, like sculpture, it requires a three-dimensional realization of form. Furthermore, before the infrastructure is carried out, it is necessary for the artist to question whether the form he wishes to produce can be carried out in concrete reality.

Generally, abstract architecture is composed of large rectangular windows, as well as simple and solid square shapes.

-Mies van der Rohe

One of the best known abstract architects is the German-American Mies van der Rohe, who went down in history as one of the most important artists in modern architecture. He was director of the notable German Bauhaus school; however, he had to leave office due to the entry of Nazism.

Its architecture is recognized for its simplicity and clarity, characteristics very typical of abstractionism. Furthermore, the artist's preferred materials were industrial steel and remarkable sheets of glass, which he used for the interiors of the façade.

One of his most famous works is in Barcelona and is named after the German Pavilion, completed in 1929. Its architecture is made up of simple geometric figures and draws attention due to its modest size. It consists of a free plant and maintains notable influences of Neoplasticism.

German Pabello. By Tassilirosmar, from Wikimedia Commons

-Gerrit Rietveld

Gerrit Rietveld was a renowned plastic artist who had different facets, since he stood out not only in architecture but also in carpentry and design. His utensil designs, such as the Red and Blue Chair of 1918, denote the modern and geometric character as an element typical of the time.

His most famous architectural work and most similar to abstract aesthetics is the so-called Rietveld Schröder House, which was built in 1924. Today, this place is used as a museum.

As for its characteristics, both the interior and exterior of the house imply a change with all the previous architectural parameters; hence the importance of the work.

Inside the house there are no rooms, there is only a wide open area. The exterior facade is made up of lines and planes, spaced and colored in order to create something different.

Rietveld Schröderhuis. By Basvb, from Wikimedia Commons

Music

As mentioned in the first paragraphs, it is important to remember that music itself is abstract, since it cannot be figurative even though it has a symbolic nomenclature for scores.

Therefore, abstract music cannot exist as an artistic movement. However, there is a style of music known by the name of absolute music, which consists of those musical works that do not have any extra musical addition; that is, they are not linked to any text.

In other words, absolute music lacks poetry and lyrics, it is a merely instrumental composition; therefore, all music devoid of lyric can be considered to belong to this genre. Some examples can be found in sonatas, in symphonies, or in a concert.

During the 20th century there were several composers who stood out for their musical artistic innovations and who coincided with the beginnings of abstractionism. Among the most prominent are Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel.

-Igor Stravinsky

Stravinsky was a Russian national conductor and composer, who is considered one of the best musicians of the 20th century. As he lived to be 89 years old, he had the opportunity to explore different musical aspects; however, his most recognized works were those made during his first years of artistic career.

One of his most acclaimed compositions is called The Firebird, a ballet that was premiered for the first time in 1910 in Paris.

-Maurice Ravel

Like Claude Debussy, this renowned French composer stood out in the so-called Impressionist music, which is characterized by its oriental influences and the evocation of colors through sounds. Ravel also maintained traits of expressionism and neoclassicism.

This musician is acclaimed for various works, and one of his most performed pieces is the Bolero, which premiered in Paris in 1928; from that moment the success of this composition was massive and universal. His orchestral movement is inspired by the heated Spanish dance, very popular at that time.

References

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2. Sempere, E. (sf) Abstract art: geometry and movement. Retrieved on October 27, 2018 from the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: museoreinasofia.es
3. Cardoza, L. (sf) Abstractionism. Retrieved on October 27, 2018 from the UNAM Magazine: revistadelauniversidad.unam
4. Mascarell, F. (2014) Painting and abstraction. Retrieved on October 27, 2018 from the Polytechnic University of Valencia: riunet.upv.es
5. Schapiro, M. (1937) Nature of Abstract Art. Retrieved on October 27, 2018 from Timothy Quiggley: timothyquigley.ne