The Logic of Abstract Art (Alexandra Hoenscheid)

 

"Ah clearly, the jagged lines and bold borders represent the eternity of human struggle."


Me:

Like many people, I'd always found abstract art a little crazy. The random squiggles, the toilet seat in the National Gallery of Art? I dismissed it, partly out of confusion, partly out of refusal to spend serious time considering it..

At least, until I met this guy named Pedro. Over breakfast. In France.

It really sounds like something out of a novel, but on the second day of my European tour, a random boy came up and explained modern art to me. Combined with jet-lag and a new culture, it was the most surreal thing, and I found myself open to everything he said.

Pedro taught me that, rather than random dots or splotches, abstract art is used to symbolically represent ideas that cannot be captured by portraits, landscapes or photography alone. Were you to paint anger, what would it look like? What does a mind, in its purest essence look like? A heart? A feeling?


Colors are the most commonly-used symbols of emotion; happiness is synonymous with yellow, sadness with blue, and so on. But feelings are more complex than that; they are not monotone. Every yellow is tainted with blue, and every blue contains a speck of yellow. Shading, blending, shadows, highlights; here is how abstract art captures emotions that  regular painting simply cannot.

Another thing: while meaningful, abstract art is also individualistic. Slight variance in interpretation is perfectly alright; deep reds and a swirl of orange may be seen as anger, ambition, or passion. Take the above painting for example. To me, the glow appears to be the rejuvenation of hope, highlighted by whites and yellows and isolated in a once-dark place. The hope is tinted with a new burst of emotions; the predominant blue reveals the sorrow felt before hope, and perhaps the red reveals resentment at a former situation. When someone else looks at this, they might see what I do, or perhaps something completely different, and that's perfectly fine.

So, after my stint in Europe I gave abstract art some thought, and even began creating some of my own. I'm grateful for the possibilities Pedro (and my new open-mindedness) opened up to me:

Want more abstract art? View an online gallery here. 

 For questions or comments, feel free to email me at idol_fan2012@hotmail.com. Thanks! :)