"They look like space and they're not real and they're not realistic. They're like space and they don't look really, really much like space. They look abstract". I have been trying to decode these statements. What is the speaker trying to convey. These are from a 5 year old girl who is already an art prodigy; already garnered worldwide fame and holds the distinction of being the youngest professional painter in the world. Every one of her paintings in last year's solo exhibition in NYC were sold within seven days.
I have been reading this piece of news since morning and searching for various abstract paintings. But sad! I dont understand any of them. There are lines and colors, and left at that. They do not convey any meaning. Is that what its is supposed to be? Why would someone do something of this sort?
A bit of curiosity beckons everyone. Is this what it is? Wikipedia says "Abstract art uses a visual language
of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a
degree of independence from visual references in the world"
"...which may exist a degree of INDEPENDENCE...." Which means it does not have to convey any meaning; it need not be legible to lowly humans as me :) It is open to any interpretation your mind in its capacity can make. So when intelligent people understand and appreciate abstracts; I am still trying and trying but in vain. It's like this. Prepare a dish and ask people who taste it to guess. What they guess is the dish! :)
The riot of colors and chaotic lines would definitely have some pattern isn't it? Yes, the chaos theory tells so. Its only the uber intellectuals who can understand that. Not lowly folks like me. How about you?
Life is an art. Little bit of curiosity keeps it spicy and pepped up. Imagine if it were all clear and understood by all? When would there be confusion, indifference, ambiguity, misunderstanding? We need this. We need the deviation from reality, from being recognizable, from being crisp and from being held accountable.
How else could we transform a failure to success? Those who don't understand are fools!
Abstract art calls dog a midget donkey. I understand it a bit as I had learnt to paint when I was young. Understanding colours, strokes etc.; but I was taught to make perfect paintings. A random line which was out of place was called imperfection and not abstract, and that makes me super low. I didn't know that spoiling my painting would fetch me lacs and crores and a perfect art would be, well, an art. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteYeah isnt art supposed to be beautiful? And I thought you can define beauty only if you understand something. Sadly I cant! Exactly a few strokes here and a few colors there could fetch you thousands of dollars. I didnt know this earlier! I am typing away millions of code working my ass out for a few dollars :(
DeleteAbstract art... well, I am still stuck at the first 2 lines!! :P
ReplyDeleteHahaha hope you went beyond that :P
DeleteHI, B, Your abstract ramblings make me see life abstract. And it indeed is , life is abstract, it doesn't make sense, why one has to be here bin the first place.
ReplyDeleteBut, then, it is the game of making something out of an outline, a chimera that we call abstract and in that way life is itself is an abstract painting. What do you say?
Anil,
DeleteLife is abstract yes; otherwise will it not be so simple to make it boring? We need something to chew and life provides it consistently :)
Goes to show that learning never ends:)
ReplyDeleteYes sir :)
DeleteAbstract means it does not have to have any meaning.. and that's what the artists are earning on.. :) but why some sell more than others is still an open question..
ReplyDeleteThat I dont know..I am still trying to learn something from what I cant understand :)
DeleteWhen it comes to abstract paintings, I am struck dumb. Just look at Jackson Pollock's! He spreads a huge canvas and pours and splashes and streaks paint over it. And names it Composition#1 or #2. But B, I cannot condemn it just because I can't understand the painter or painting. Each of us have our own limitations, haven't we?
ReplyDeleteOne can always try and learn about abstract paintings; learn how to view them, how to analyze them; if we are sensitive and receptive enough, we may yet enjoy abstract paintings. It is the same about almost everything, isn't it? A language is best when it communicates effectively. But if the audience does not know the language, they have to learn it!
Exactly! Balan thats the limitation I am talking about. I have a severe lack of understanding and I am trying my best. But I do know these sort of abstracts are necessary even in life to get us going. And comparing language to abstract paintings...I think they are worlds apart.
DeleteAnd when we talk about life.... I once wrote that it is like the old Hindi songs, the lyrics of which I never learned in full. As my vocabulary develops, I learn a bit more, I understand a bit more.
ReplyDeleteAbstract art is a very challenging and confusing word. When I do photography, and see abstract photographs, I get dumbstruck - can this also be captured in lens? I can understand how confusing it should be with painting. I love to visit painting/ art galleries, and have encountered some weird (to me!) abstract art with mess up of colors and strokes. I honestly could not understand anything. They usually have a name for the painting. And I would search for where is that in that art! Are you talking about Aelita Andre? I went to her website and saw some videos of how she is drawing! Totally mesmerizing to see that little girl draw...what is a mess for us, and art for 1000s of others.
ReplyDeleteVaish,
DeleteYes the same girl :) I agree with you. I keep searching for what is it that has made people go ooh-aah. I cant fathom. Maybe I dont have that in me :)
Check this blog for some answers ...http://www.ashokism.blogspot.in/
ReplyDeleteI saw some of your paintings. Good ones...I marvel at people who have the patience to dish out beautiful stuffs as these. Your abstracts are understandable :)
DeleteAbstract art -- I have no clue. I associate that to geometrical patterns or anything that does not make any sense. I like such patterns on my clothes :).
ReplyDelete:) Haha yeah! such patterns look cool on clothes
DeleteAbstract ~ anything that makes no sense ?? Hmmm something unusual is what I categorize under abstract, be it a few statements, be it a few strokes of lines and curves, patterns that dont follow any particualar geometry, photos that seem peculiar and not possible to be clicked and what not. Aything not falling under the usual category routes to Abstract! Nice post.
ReplyDeleteYeah anything not usual is what I cant understand :-S
DeleteAbstract Art.
ReplyDeleteTo me Art is as Greek as cooking.
Chowla sir,
DeleteTrue with abstract art in my case
Even I don't understand it. My son likes to draw a blue sun, a pink sky and an orange elephant, his art teacher(we have private tutorials) gets annoyed by this.May be this is what an abstract art is ,you like your sun blue and your sun might look like a bus. Ammm ... I know I am not making any sense here.
ReplyDeleteWow! Thats creativity :) But still you can understand that there is a sun, sky there right? Thats ok but with abstract I keep looking to find something that I can recognize
DeletePretty…
ReplyDeletepuneonnet.com
nice post but still thinking on they are space few of lines.
ReplyDeletesm,
Deletethanks. :)
Sorry for commenting so late. i have 150+ blog posts to read in my feed reader.
ReplyDeleteWell, art is different for everyone. You may like simplicity, like I do, some people like chaos and the more difficult it becomes to understand, they rate it much more. Like the movie Inception..
No problem celebrity :)
ReplyDeleteYeah maybe what you say is true. Keep it complex and you win :)