What Is Abstract Canvas Art?

When we speak of abstract canvas art, what do we mean exactly? People seem to think that any form of abstract canvas art is something that does not readily or naturally submit itself to form or interpretation. Partly, they are right.

Abstract canvas art, in the literal sense, is abstract art rendered on canvas. There are other forms of abstract art, such as sculpture, but abstract canvas art strictly refers to the form of abstract art that is painted on canvas and can be hung on a wall.

Still, there is more to abstract art than that definition. Abstract art, just as it is with other forms of art, have elements that set it apart.

Abstract Art: Colours and Forms

The primary element of abstract art is that it does not have a recognisable subject or visual reference. Those of us who know our art history would be aware that before the Expressionists and the Romanticists became popular in the art world, there was a standing rule that all art forms have to have a visual reference. It means that a painting, for instance, should be a representation of something recognisable.

It was a rule that has been followed ever since the Renaissance times, and it was a rule that artists specialising in abstract art broke. With abstract canvas art, the subject of the painting has more to do with its forms and colours by themselves rather than any recognisable object. They do not have any visual reference at all.

Abstract Art: Deceptive Spontaneity

One of the amusing and clever elements of abstract art is that it seems so spontaneous. Did the artist just draw lines or splash paint on the canvas without any thought to the end result? Was the painting produced on a mere whim? Or was it all deliberate on the artist's part?

The thing about abstract art is that although it looks spontaneous, the artist actually spent some time planning his or her project - what medium will be used to express his or her vision, what colours would be best to express the vision, and what forms will the vision take. Thus, when you look at abstract canvas art, it is not just the result of an artist playing around with his or her brush. It is the result of careful planning on the artist's part.

Abstract Art: The Essence of Things

Another thing about abstract art is that when it does take the form of something visually recognisable, the artist often oversimplifies the object so that what you can see is only something that barely resembles the original. That is because the artist is simply trying to capture the essence of the object itself and present it to us in a totally different light, and thus giving it a totally different meaning.

We have many different ways of interpreting abstract canvas art. One thing we can be sure about it, however, is that there is definitely more to abstract canvas art that meets the eye.

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