In abstraction, artists find freedom of expression, which allows them to overcome the boundaries of reality and immerse themselves in the world of fantasy and creativity. Each abstract painting is a unique visual poem where shape, color and line become tools to convey deep emotions and ideas; masters of abstraction create works that inspire the viewer to personal interpretations, opening up limitless horizons of imagination. These paintings do not require clear plots or real forms, because they are based on a feeling that each viewer perceives in their own way.
Painting experts helped write this material and for more details on this topic can be found here: https://ukrainianvintage.com/collections/abstract
Before we move on to the analysis of abstract painting, we will look at several paintings from famous artists, so that in the context of the works we can make out and understand what it is.
Let’s start with a painting from the artist “A cup of coffee” Anatoly Tarabanov – refers to neo-impressionism or abstract expressionism; the combination of features of these movements: smooth, blurry strokes and play of colors are reminiscent of neo-impressionism, while the abstract background and expressiveness of the execution can be associated with abstract expressionism. The painting depicts the figure of a woman holding a cup and saucer, immersed in thought and meditation, and the main emphasis is on the woman’s face and hands; are made in more detail, while the surrounding background is blurred into abstract color spots and strokes, which creates a feeling of the character being immersed in his thoughts.
The painting symbolizes a moment of inner peace, reflection or solitude – a woman with a cup is presented as an image of mediation, enjoying the moment or seeking inner balance. The surrounding abstract environment is interpreted as a reflection of the heroine’s inner world, her thoughts, feelings and dreams – this combination of a detailed face and an abstract background relates between the external and internal world – between awareness and fantasy. Particularly interesting is the element of blurring the boundaries between figure and background – this creates the impression that the heroine literally disappears into the environment or into her thoughts and feelings, which merge with the worlds around her.
The next painting from the artist “Night lights” Olesia Osnach belongs to impressionism and abstract impressionism; soft strokes, attention to light and color, the desire to capture a fleeting impression of a scene – this refers to impressionism; on the other hand, the abstract nature of the execution, where form and structure are partially blurred, makes it close to abstract impressionism, which focuses on sensations and emotions. The artist’s painting depicts a landscape in the evening or at night, with bright light sources blurred in the surrounding space. The overall color palette includes dark shades of blue, green, and purple, contrasted with bright spots of yellow, orange, and pink—creating a feeling of warmth and mystery when viewing. You can explore more about such artistic styles at https://masterful-artists.com/.
The painting symbolizes the atmosphere of a calm evening, immersed in mysterious lights and glow, creating a lasting feeling of comfort and at the same time hidden mysterious energy; spots of light are associated with lanterns or windows that create light in the night, symbolizing the presence of life even in the darkest places. In an abstract painting there is blur, smooth transitions between colors – creating an effect of fluidity and hinting at the flow of time and the changeability of nature; An interesting element is the use of light and color to create depth, as well as a glow effect.
The next painting from the artist “7 tubes” Sergey Voichenko is a geometric abstraction – the feature focuses on the use of simple shapes to create complex and structured compositions. In this example, the artist uses squares and rectangles to create some illusion of movement and tubes. The composition of the painting consists of small colored squares, and the colors vary from warm tones – red, orange, yellow; to cold weather – blue, green.
The painting symbolizes chaos and order at the same time – many small colored elements that combine into a single whole, creating a structure from seemingly random spots of color. This reflects the idea that even in chaos there is order or, conversely, that order will be achieved from chaos. The artist’s work evokes associations with an urban landscape, a technological world, or even fragments of memory and perception; Particularly interesting is the way the artist uses blue and red lines that intersect and create a sense of movement and depth – these lines add certain associations to the composition, such as a pipe, and guide the viewer’s eye through the entire painting.
We have looked at famous artists from the direction of abstract art, now let’s look at what abstraction itself is.
What is Abstract Painting?
In the world of art, paintings are designed to tell a person some kind of story, a connected, captivating plot or narrative. For example, it could be a story about ancient heroes or biblical events – any painting helps the viewer tell and show specific images, landscapes, life and culture. And in order for the viewer to understand what is in front of him, first of all it is necessary to show specific, understandable images – the viewer must grasp the essence of what is happening. Experiments and developments in painting have led to the emergence of a new movement as opposed to realism and it is called abstractionism. The beginning of the 20th century was the main event for the birth of abstract art, and directed it as a separate genre of art.
When viewing abstract paintings, many viewers have a question: how much effort did the artist put into painting his painting? For ordinary people who do not particularly delve into art, abstraction may seem elementary, which does not require special skills, knowledge or talent. Let’s answer right away – to paint a painting that should evoke emotions, experiences and, most importantly, associations – abstraction is more complex than just traditional painting.
If abstractionism simply does not recognize norms and rules in comparison with other genres of art, then among novice artists who believe that splashing paint and applying strokes in a chaotic manner is an easy task. Approaching it from this point of view means that the work of professionals who have been engaged in abstraction for many decades is devalued. The answer to this is simple – a painting in the abstract genre carries exactly the same information load as those paintings that are depicted from real objects or characters. At the same time, abstraction trains imagination, memory, and logical thinking, for example, when viewing geometric shapes in a painting, we can see images of real objects that are hidden among the shapes and lines. Simply put – abstract images can remind us of real objects or scenes from life, which leads to stimulation of our brain to associate abstract elements such as specific memories or thoughts from life. Thus, when observing abstraction, we not only develop our imagination, but also strengthen memory and logical thinking, forming new associations and connections in the mind.
As soon as we pass the stage of the concept of abstraction, we gradually come to the realization that the most important thing in paintings is not the painted objects, but the emotions and feelings that arise in the viewer when viewing. And they arise when you unravel the meaning of abstraction – you get such a paradox that one thing is connected to the other.
Let’s then give a definition to abstraction – artists, in the process of painting their paintings, first of all move away from the canons of the real world and replace specific objects or models with recognizable images through associations. For example, elements such as:
1) color;
2) forms;
3) signs;
4) gestures.
For an abstract artist, accuracy in conveying the reality of an object is not primarily important; the main thing here is the meaning, meaning, ideas, concepts that stand behind this object. Simply put, instead of the narrative character in traditional painting, in abstraction comes figurative and semantic, and thus, in the paintings you need to find the so-called “key” for which the viewer can associate with an object from the real world.
What is an Abstract Painting – Associations for the Viewer
It was previously stated that the most important thing in abstraction, which stands out from other genres in art, is the association that the painting evokes in the viewer. And for artists it’s up to them to carry it out in such a way as to produce the desired effect from the painting, because each person’s associations will be purely individual. Abstract artists began to look for solutions to this complex problem and the first thing to do was to form their own artistic and semantic language, which would form abstract concepts through images. In the future, there is a transition to the law of formation of forms and the required space on the canvases, where the objects in the composition will be located; At this stage, artists begin to experiment with the arrangement of shapes, colors and lines, creating a special harmony that guides the viewer’s perception. The question to ask is what is the challenge for abstract artists? The answer to the question is to find a balance between chaos and order, where each detail of the composition will play its role in creating the overall impression and association for a particular viewer and is a key factor. And at the same time, forming their own artistic and semantic language, abstractionists pay attention not only to the visual side of their works, but also to the depth of content, trying to convey complex ideas and emotions through abstract images.
Abstract artists also have the task of ensuring that the viewer, who is immersed in the work, can intuitively perceive its message, while finding their own interpretations of the objects on the canvas. In the painting, every shape, color, and line become part of the symbolic language that the artist uses to communicate with the audience, for example, using geometry – you can hide a character, thereby showing already famous personalities from a different angle. As a result, a painting in the abstract genre becomes not just an image, but also a means of transmission to the viewer, who consequently opens the world to his own subconscious and emotions. The laws of composition, which are chosen by the artist, help create a structure for the painting and in which the viewer can find support for his associations, while still leaving enough for personal interpretation. This is how a unique “dialogue” is formed between the painting and the audience, in which everyone will find something of their own, and this makes abstract art so attractive and significant in the art world.
Kissel in Directions and Styles in Abstract Painting
As in other directions and genres in the world of art, abstractionism, as it developed, was stratified into several directions and in each of which well-known representatives worked. Let’s give a few examples and at the same time show in practice how much abstraction can differ in its own directions.
The first painting from the artist “Underwater breath” Valeria Sign refers to geometric abstraction, the main feature is lines and shapes (squares, triangles, circles). This painting is an image of two faces facing each other against a background of rich blue-green hues and the composition itself evokes a sense of movement and interaction between the two elements; the faces are made in a style reminiscent of mosaic or pixelation techniques using geometric shapes, which emphasizes the abstractness of the painting.
The painting, in my opinion, symbolizes communication or connection between two individuals, their mutual influence on each other, or their interaction in a certain space that is outside of reality. The use of shades such as blue and green speaks of calm, peace, or even a spiritual connection between the characters. The lines that divide faces into segments symbolize the complexity of human nature, emotional connections or multi-layered interactions.
The second painting from the artist “Bridge” Olga Melezhik belongs to abstract expressionism, the main feature of which is spontaneous, often intense brushstrokes that create emotionally charged work; The main focus is on color, texture and dynamics. In turn, through expressionism, artists are given the opportunity to convey the inner state of their own “I” or feelings associated with a certain moment, without resorting to such elements as specific images and forms. But, back to the example of the painting – it is a vibrant painting of shades of blue-green and yellow, and there are traces of dynamic brushstrokes and paint overlays that create a textured and layered canvas.
The painting, in my opinion, symbolizes the dynamics and energy of nature or the artist’s inner world – experiences and memories. The use of blue and green colors is associated with nature, water, forest and something alive and organic, while bright yellow spots add contrast and create a feeling of light or energy that breaks through the main composition. The painting by artist Olga Melezhik primarily symbolizes movement, change, the transition from one emotional state to another, or even the collision of natural forces.
The third painting from the artist “Buddha’s hand” Sergey Voichenko belongs to two styles at once – cubism and neo-expressionism. The painting shows features of cubism, such as the division of an object (hand) into separate geometric elements, multi-layering and fragmentation; on the other hand, the expressive use of color and brush strokes belongs to neo-expressionism – the transfer of emotional state and internal energy through abstract forms and rich colors plays an important role. The background is made in an abstract manner and with smooth color transitions, which gives the whole composition such a touch of dynamics and depth.
The painting, in my opinion, symbolizes many things: the hand in the center means human labor and creativity, to gestures and symbols of communication. The brightness and richness of the color create the impression of strength and energy that comes from the hand – the artist sought to convey the idea of the importance of actions, gestures or even the symbolic hand as a means of expression. Moving on to the composition and if we go deeper, it reflects a struggle or interaction with the environment, which is emphasized by the artist through the complexity of forms and the dynamics of the background.
The fourth painting from the artist “Gemini” Anatoly Tarabanov – the technique of execution and use of abstract forms and textures belongs to a more modern form of art, where the focus is on color and compositional solutions that enhance emotional perception. Also borrowing from other directions, such as surrealism – expressed through the use of fantasy elements combined with real images (human figures), which creates a feeling of dreams and fantasies. There are elements of symbolism, which makes the paintings suitable for analysis from the point of view of this movement; the composition of the painting is an image of two symmetrical arrangements of figures representing twins, which is emphasized in the center by the zodiac symbol Gemini (♊); The painting conveys the atmosphere of outer space or a fantasy world, and it is filled with bright and dynamic colors using abstract elements.
The painting, in my opinion, symbolizes a close connection with astrology and in particular with the constellation Gemini – the two figures represent duality, balance, opposites, harmony or the connection between two parts of one whole. The artist’s use of such bright and saturated colors; as well as textures, adds a certain sense of dynamics and movement to the painting – in turn, symbolizes the interaction of two aspects – development and evolution; and in the context of astrology, hints at deeper themes such as fate, the cosmos and the spiritual aspects of the individual.
What Does Abstract Painting Mean – The Main Features
We have looked at examples of paintings from abstract artists from different directions and styles, now we will summarize all our knowledge about abstraction in theses. The main features of abstract painting:
1) Unlike traditional painting, in abstraction there are no clearly recognizable and familiar outlines and shapes of objects.
2) In abstraction, the presence of geometric compositions, such as flat or volumetric.
3) Abstraction contains plastic compositions that simply flow into each other.
4) In abstraction, a large number of signs, symbols, pictograms that will carry significant concepts in the painting.
5) Abstraction contains a large number of color spots and play of color shades.
6) Abstraction gives unrealistic shapes and colors, unlike traditional painting – where realism is important.
7) Abstraction in works makes it possible not to take perspective into account, and you can actually sacrifice it to enhance other artistic effects in the painting.
8) Abstraction contains chaotic and often random created objects that will carry a certain meaning.
9) Abstraction hides the original meaning of the painting for the public and, more often than not, it is difficult to understand what exactly the author wanted to say with this painting. As is the case, artists leave a clue right in the title of the painting, for example creating a play on words to reveal a clue that will point to associations in the painting itself.
We have described the main theses that directly reveal what abstraction is in the world of painting, but the question remains, what does the author want to say with his painting? To begin with, the artist himself cannot always know what associations the painting will evoke in the viewer, or what a particular object may mean to him. As they say, how many people – so many opinions. And artists can only correctly use the techniques from their arsenal in order to neutrally show the necessary symbols and signs on their canvases. This is what abstraction is all about – it is powerful and varied, and also beautiful.
All examples of photographs and artists are kindly provided by the Ukrainian Vintage Co.
