Abstract Paintings Are Truly Fine Art

Many people neither appreciate nor understand abstract paintings. The usual thinking is that every painting should look like something in the same way that a photograph shows something that we can readily recognize. Anything that does not is easily considered as "weird".

You will often hear it said that abstract paintings looks like a child painted it. Most people believe that art has to be realistic. 'Abstract' means ' of or pertaining to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., esp. with reference to their relationship to one another ' or 'pertaining to the non-representational art styles of the 20th century'.It is a kind of painting that is removed from reality. Abstract paintings came into being at the same time modern art became known as such to the general public, because it was stated to be a style of painting that was a part of the modern art movement. In the 1900's, abstract paintings became more visible with the cubist paintings of Pablo Picasso. This art form was not practiced in America until the 1940's and then it was linked to the works of the artist Jackson Pollock.

Abstract art is considered as a painting style and not a class of an art period and for that reason it is still being created today. Here are some pointers to help you gain a better appreciation of abstract art. It should not look any set way - that is it should not look like "something". There are no such rules.

That is the foremost rule to remember. You can observe the textures of the painting by looking at the physical form of the painting. Ask yourself what the thickness of the paint is? Does it look like it is raised off the canvas? How do the colors look?

Do you see a blending or a clashing of the colors? How do you feel when you look at the painting? Focus on how the painting makes you feel and a lot less on the thoughts about what it is supposed to be. Do you feel happy when you look at it? Or do you feel sad? Or does it make to feel relaxed? Here is an example of experiencing abstract paintings. An art enthusiast once wrote that he saw a very large painting. It was 8 foot by 8 foot. To him it looked as though the artist painted it with very heavy, angry, fast strokes.

He noticed the black and red colors were very prominent in the painting and they felt very powerful in the painting. He thought that the artist must have been angry at the time. As it happened, the information card on the painting stated that the artist created the painting after finding that his apartment was robbed. So the artist's anger transferred into his art and was clearly visible to an onlooker.

The art enthusiast was able to feel the emotions the artist felt at the time he painted the painting, by just experiencing how the abstract paintings made him feel. Nobody has to like this art style; it is ok not to like it.

Source : Ezinearticles