Abstract Art What is it?

A key to understanding abstract art is to look at the word abstract itself. It is used in a myriad of ways. It is used as an adjective, noun or verb. As a noun it can summarize a text, as a verb it can remove or steal, as an adjective it is “difficult to understand.”(9) The adjective form of the word is the key that unlocks the beginning of the journey through the labyrinth that is abstract art.

Describing abstract art is akin to taking a journey through a labyrinth. Not the kind of labyrinth with an easy path to follow. The kind of labyrinth that has long slopping corridors, with twist and turns that double back on themselves. The artist have aligned the corridors with bright vivid color. The twist and turns are drenched in various forms of art expression. Yet there is a path here worn by countless artist and art followers, who have dared to enter the universe of abstract art.

“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.”(1) Abstract art is a broad term that encompasses many different styles of art abstract or not. Abstract art began to flourish at the end of the 19^th century when artist were looking for a different way of expression. Impressionism, fauvism,surrealism, and cubism laid the foundation, by breaking the rules. Also included are expressionism, post-impressionism, and by the 20^th century we have abstract expressionism. Other terms that define modern abstract art are minimalism, post-painterly abstraction, and 21^st century pluralism.

Fauvism began in the 1900, it was all about color in it's pure form. It came forth from a group of French painters. The fauves created vivid paintings with globs of paint. It was more about the journey and emotion than painting a scene. The imprint of the brush became part of the painting. “The paintings of the fauves were characterized by seemingly wild brush work and strident colors, while their subject matter had a high degree of simplification and abstraction.”(6) They were inspired by the likes of Van Gogh and Gauguin. Fauvism paved the way for expressionism and cubism. Matisse became the leading artist of fauvsim. Matisse's Olive Trees, Collioure (1905) resulted from his collaboration with Andre Derain. This composition was created with daubs of pure color that is considered abstract. Germany in 1905 sprouted expressionism, during an era of discontent with the world and angst against impressionism and academic art. “Vincent Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and James Ensor proved particularly influential to the Expressionists, encouraging the distortion of form and the deployment of strong colors to convey a variety of anxieties and yearnings.”(3) Art was moving away from analytical composition, now it was more about the inner depth of the artist. Art was becoming internalized. Social criticisms influenced expressionist art, as more of the world became urbanized. Urbanization produced separateness among it dwellers and the art world responded with figural drawings and bold colors. “Expressionist artists often employed swirling, swaying, and exaggeratedly executed brushstrokes in the depiction of their subjects. These techniques were meant to convey the turgid emotional state of the artist reacting to the anxieties of the modern world.”(3) “In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form—instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context.” (4) Pablo Picasso is know well beyond the scope of the art world. His artwork titled , Les Demoiselles d'Avignon done in 1907,presented the foundation of cubism. “The movement has been described as having two stages: 'Analytic' Cubism, in which forms seem to be 'analyzed' and fragmented; and 'Synthetic' Cubism, in which newspaper and other foreign materials such as chair caning and wood veneer, are collaged to the surface of the canvas as 'synthetic' signs for depicted objects”(4) Cubism is the style of the art, with it geometric shapes and distorted prospective that coined the word cubism. Braque another well know cubist was a close associates of Picasso they often collaborated and there art can be hard to differentiate. Other artist would start subtracting and simplifying there work. This is when the term abstract art came into being. “Apollinaire supported these early developments of abstract Cubism in Les Peintres cubistes (1913), writing of a new "pure" painting in which the subject was vacated” (4) Surrealism another corner stone of modern abstract art. Founded in Paris in 1924, by a small group of writers and artist who believe the power of imagination laid in the subconscious mind.“Initially a literary movement, many Surrealists were ambivalent about the possibilities of painting, however, the group's leader, André Breton, later embraced and promoted painting.”(2) They believed in Freud's teaching that the conscious mind was a block to the imagination. It was more of a movement than an art style, yet it laid the foundation for different kind of expression. The surrealist were intent on exposing repressed parts of the conscious mind. They used dream imagery and archetypical symbols in the form of collage, which they believed came from the subconscious mind. With the advent of WWII surrealism found it way to America. “The American painters were uneasy with the overt Freudian symbolism of the European movement, but they were inspired by its interests in the unconscious, as well as its strain of primitivism and preoccupation with mythology.” (2) Today the modern art world owes much gratitude to the surrealists. “Peggy Guggenheim's 1942 exhibition of Surrealist-influenced artists (Rothko, Gottlieb, Motherwell, Baziotes, Hoffman, Still, and Pollock) alongside European artists Miró, Klee, and Masson, underscores the speed with which Surrealist concepts spread through the New York art community.” (2) After surrealism found it's way to New York, abstract expressionism gained a foot hold in the ample Museums and art gallery’s of the city. Following the war many European modernist artist found there way to New York. They brought with them the love of cubism and fauvism. Many artist were fascinated by the work of Carl Jung, who believed that the collect subconscious was represented by archetypical symbols. “In, 1947 Jackson Pollock found his way to the drip technique. The following year, de Kooning had an influential show at the Charles Egan Gallery; Barnett Newman arrived at his breakthrough picture Onement I; and Mark Rothko began painting the "multi-form" paintings that would soon lead to the signature works of his mature period.” (8) Eventually abstract expressionism itself became academic and the reductionism theme left little to be further explore. Yet it's legacy like Pollock left a lasting impression on the art world. It would help foster Japaneses Gutai and Vietnamese Actionist. It's themes and concepts supported Neo-Expressionism in the 1980's and left a standard against which to be measured. Abstract themes continue to weave a thread through many of the art styles. One term can not begin to describe what abstract art is. To some scholars of the art world it is a picture reduced to it's simple form. So reduced that it doesn't even resemble it original shape or colors. To other scholars abstract is the well of the subconscious brought to the surface in vivid colors, dripping across the canvas like Jackson Pollock pieces. Yet most will argue that is not paint thrown or brushed upon the canvas without thought. It is claimed that one must be a fervent student of art itself, before one can even begin to attempt the abstract. The scholars of art history have given an end date to the different movements of art. How could there be a defined end? Art is constantly changing and evolving. Styles merger and change into what at the moment is modern art. Only the master can be dated, the images they leave behind go on to inspire generations to explore their own inner labyrinth, reaching into the primal depths of creation. It is more than the sums of it parts of color, stroke and composition. It is the very core of who we are, our expression of our inner universe.

Resources

(1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_art (2)http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm (3)http://www.theartstory.org/movement-expressionism.htm (4)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubism (5)http://www.theartstory.org/movement-cubism.htm (6)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauvism (7)http://www.theartstory.org/movement-fauvism.htm (8)http://www.theartstory.org/movement-abstract-expressionism.htm (9)http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/abstract

Creativity Talent and Skill

One can detect many layers in the above image. It seems very chaotic, yet upon closer examination it is more about the sum of it parts than the whole. It is framed in a deep green that melds well into the whole of the image. There are four separate very blazing abstract colored pencil drawings. They are placed in the four corners. Each drawing is unique yet one can tell that they are similar in style. In the center is a oil painting, a landscape, with a water fall brook in the background. The main subject is a tree, that is shaped like a woman with her arms outstretched to the sky. If that is not enough overlaid on the image on either side of the tree painting are two poems. Lastly the words create, creative and creativity sweep across the middle and top of the image.

cre·ate: verb \krē-ˈāt, ˈkrē-ˌ\ to bring into existence (A)

A woman sits down in her easy chair. She makes herself comfortable and draws a coffee table up to her lap. On the coffee table she places a drawing pad, off to one side on a chair she sets a tin of colored pencils. In her mind she thinks of the word ayahausca, she says this over and over. She stares at the open drawing pad. She tells herself there are no mistakes, then she closes her eyes and picks a colored pencil from the tin and starts to draw. She keeps saying the word ayahausca over and over. She repeats this process of closing her eyes and picking a colored pencil over and over. She looks at it and highlights a few areas that have intrigue her. She uses this process to create many more drawings. She has created works of beauty that will lay a foundation for an image many years later.

The woman sat down at her computer. She couldn't think of one specific area of expertise that stood out to her. Than she remember how she had described herself in one word to a person. She told that person that the core of her being is creative. The proverbial light bulb went on, that is it. She is creative, whether or not it be a drawing, a poem, a photograph, an event,a clay sculpture or a garden. So she sat down and created the image for her writing. She layered it with art work and pose that she had done over the years and added the root word create in some of it forms. This image would lay the foundation for her argument of talent versus skill.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines skill as : a learned power of doing something competently : a developed aptitude or ability.(B) Where as talent is defined as : a characteristic feature, aptitude, or disposition of a person or animal : the natural endowments of a person. (C)

The Separation between talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft. I don’t really view myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is ridiculous, sickening work ethic. While the other guys are sleeping, I am working. While the other guys are eating, I am working.” Will Smith (1)

“Good writers don’t rely on inspiration. They don’t use "talent" as a crutch. They don’t need luck. Instead, they develop skills.” Kami M McArthur 1/2/2013 (2)

In David Farlands Daily kick in the pants Talent vs Skill he starts of with the above quote.

In his article Farland acknowledges that all of us have talent. He describes that he didn't have the aptitude for the mandolin, yet when he work with clay, it came easy to him. He believes to prefect a craft, even if one is talent with it, that it takes practice through a learned set of skills. He notes that he spent fourteen hours a day for six months perfecting his writing skills. Farland concluded that skill is more valuable than talent. Mike Puglielli is a 5 year creative designer. In his article titled “Learning your Craft” Talent vs Skill. Mike writes about talent, but believes skill is equally and more important than talent like Farland. In his article Mike wrote the following about talent. “Your talent is innate. Innate in that, you are born to be artistic.” “You have that intrinsic, artistic identity that was there right after leaving the womb.” He writes about skill as: “Skill takes time and effort to develop and is not innate and skills are more likely measurable and technical.” (3) Puglielle goes on to explain in his article that talent will only get you so far. To excel with your talent you need to work at it. He explains that learning skills will perfect your talent. Talent can't be relied on for it has a fall off point. It is at this point that skill takes over, and it is also at his point that some give up because they can't relie on their talent. Puglielle believes you don't have to have talent to be a great designer. It will take lots of skills to become great at it. Talent will only take you so far.

To circle back around to Coyle's work of “The Talent Code” the first chapter “The Sweet Spot”.(4) In which Coyle postulate that talent is not born it is earned. Coyle explained that one needed to work on the edge of ones ability in “deep practice” to become talented. It would seem that Coyle was really explaining skill not talent. If he had titled his book “The Skill Code”. It may have not sold as many copies. The way it was written was a clever way to attract readers and skillfully explain skill disgusted as talent. So in that way Coyle is a skillful writer. The two articles by Farland and Puglielle point out to me that we all can have a certain talent for a certain craft. Yet is the skills that we learn around our talent that propels us forward to secede in the field that foster our talent. I am very talented at creating art. Yet that talent will only take me so far unless I build the necessary skills to enhance my talent. In someway the articles point to being successful with talent built by skills. Yet to enjoy your talent doesn’t mean you don’t' have to be successful or even skillful. Here we could start to argue about what success is. Is a person who only hangs his artwork in his home, any less successful than an artist with works in an art gallery? I think of myself as talented but not all that skillful. If I was successful would it mean that I could make a living from my talent? I think that my talent is a broad stroked concept. It is hard for me to pin it down to one venture. If I focused on just my writing than I could become skilled at it. If I focused just on my art work, it might take me places I have yet to imagine.

References

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/create (A)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talent (B)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skil(C)

http://ivanhoff.com/2012/08/23/skill-vs-talent-2/ (1)

http://www.davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=166 (2)

http://inspiredology.com/learning-your-craft-talent-vs-skill/ (3)

Coyle, Daniel (2009). The Talent Code New York:Bantam Books ( Chapter 1 The Sweet Spot.) (4)