Abstract art! Abstraction in art! Abstract painting! Abstractionism! Abstract composition (principles of displaying human sensations) Abstract artists are also related as a work of art

The emergence of Abstract Art:

Abstractionism as a movement arose at the beginning of the 20th century. simultaneously in several European countries. The recognized founders and inspirers of this movement are the artists Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian, Frantisek Kupka and Robert Delaunay, who outlined the main principles of Abstract Artism in their theoretical works and policy statements. Differing in goals and objectives, their teachings were united in one thing: Abstractionism as the highest stage of development fine arts creates forms that are unique to art. “Freed” from copying reality, it turns into a means of transmitting various figurative images the incomprehensible spiritual principle of the universe, eternal “spiritual essences”, “cosmic forces”.

As an artistic phenomenon, Abstractionism had a huge influence on the formation and development of modern architectural style, design, industrial, applied and decorative arts.

Features of Abstract Art:

Abstractionism (from the Latin Abstractus - abstract) is one of the main artistic directions in the art of the 20th century, in which the structure of the work is based exclusively on formal elements - line, color spot, abstract configuration. Works of Abstract Art are detached from the forms of life itself: non-objective compositions embody the subjective impressions and fantasies of the artist, the stream of his consciousness; they generate free associations, movement of thought and emotional empathy.

Since the advent of Abstract Art, two main lines have emerged in it:

• First – geometric, or logical abstraction, creating space by combining geometric shapes, colored planes, straight lines and broken lines. It is embodied in the Suprematism of K. Malevich, the neoplasticism of P. Mondrian, the orphism of R. Delaunay, in the work of masters of post-painterly abstraction and op art;
• The second is lyrical-emotional abstraction, in which compositions are organized from freely flowing forms and rhythms, is represented by the work of V. Kandinsky, the works of masters of abstract expressionism, tachisme, and informal art.

Masters of Abstract Art:

Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Frantisek Kupka, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Theo Van Doesburg, Robber Delaunay, Mikhail Larionov, Lyubov Popova, Jackson Pollock, Josef Albers and others.

Paintings by artists:

Single Barrel Pattern, William Morris

"Abstract art", also called "non-figurative art", "non-figurative", "non-representational", "geometric abstraction" or "concrete art", is a rather vague umbrella term for any piece of painting or sculpture that does not depict recognizable objects or scenes. However, as we can see, there is no clear consensus regarding the definition, types or aesthetic meaning abstract art. Picasso thought there was no such thing at all, while some art historians believe that all art is abstract - because, for example, no painting can hope to be anything more than a rough summary of what one sees artist. Additionally, there is a sliding scale of abstraction, from semi-abstract to fully abstract. So while the theory is relatively clear—abstract art is detached from reality—the practical task of separating abstract from non-abstract works can be much more problematic.

What is the idea of ​​abstract art?

Let's start with a very simple example. Let's take a bad (unnaturalistic) drawing of something. The execution of the image leaves much to be desired, but if its colors are beautiful, the design can amaze us. This shows how a formal quality (color) can override a representational quality (drawing).
On the other hand, a photorealistic painting of, say, a house may show excellent graphics, but the subject itself, color scheme And general composition can be absolutely boring.
The philosophical rationale for valuing artistic formal qualities stems from Plato's assertion that: “Straight lines and circles… are not only beautiful… but eternal and absolutely beautiful.”

Convergence, Jackson Pollock, 1952

Essentially, Plato's saying means that non-naturalistic images (circles, squares, triangles, etc.) have absolute, unchanging beauty. Thus, a painting can only be appreciated for its line and color, it does not need to depict a natural object or scene. French artist, the lithographer and art theorist Maurice Denis (1870-1943) had the same thing in mind when he wrote: “Remember that a picture—before it is a war horse or a nude woman...is essentially a flat surface covered with color collected in a specific okay."

Frank Stella

Types of abstract art

To keep things simple, we can divide abstract art into six main types:

• Curvilinear
• Based on color or light
• Geometric
• Emotional or intuitive
• Gestural
• Minimalist

Some of these types are less abstract than others, but they all involve separating art from reality.

Curvilinear abstract art

Honeysuckle, William Morris, 1876

This type is strongly associated with Celtic art, which uses a series of abstract motifs, including knots (eight main types), interlace patterns, and spirals (including triskele or triskelion). These motifs were not invented by the Celts, many others early cultures used these Celtic ornaments for centuries. However, it's fair to say that Celtic designers have inspired new life into these patterns, making them more intricate and complex. They later returned during the 19th century and were particularly evident in book covers, fabrics, wallpaper and chintz designs such as the work of William Morris (1834-96) and Arthur Maczmurdo (1851-1942). Curvilinear abstraction is also characterized by the concept of "endless painting", a widespread feature of Islamic art.

Abstract art based on color or light

Water Lily, Claude Monet

This type is exemplified in the works of Turner and Monet, which use color (or light) in such a way as to separate the work of art from reality as the object dissolves into a swirl of pigment. Examples include the paintings Water Lily by Claude Monet (1840-1926), Talisman (1888, Musee d’Orsay, Paris), Paul Seruzier (1864-1927). Several of Kandinsky's expressionist paintings during his time with Der Blaue Reiter are very close to abstraction. Color abstraction reappeared in the late 1940s and 50s in the form of color painting developed by Mark Rothko (1903-70) and Barnett Newman (1905-70). In the 1950s in France, a parallel variety of abstract painting related to color, known as lyrical abstraction, emerged.

Talisman, Paul Seruzier

Geometric abstraction

Boogie-Woogie on Broadway, Piet Mondrian, 1942

This type of intellectual abstract art has been around since 1908. An early rudimentary form was Cubism, specifically Analytical Cubism, which rejected linear perspective and the illusion of spatial depth in painting to focus on its two-dimensional aspects. Geometric abstraction is also known as concrete art and objectless art. As one might expect, it is characterized by non-naturalistic images, usually geometric shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, etc. In a sense, containing absolutely no reference to or connection with the natural world, geometric abstractionism is the purest form of abstraction. One could say that concrete art is to abstract art what veganism is to vegetarianism. Geometric abstraction is represented by the Black Circle (1913, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), painted by Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935) (founder of Suprematism); Boogie-Woogie on Broadway (1942, MoMA, New York) Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) (founder of neo-plasticism); and Composition VIII (The Cow) (1918, MoMA, New York) by Theo Van Doesburg (1883-1931) (founder of De Stijl and Elementarism). Other examples include the works Address to the Square by Josef Albers (1888-1976) and Op-Art by Victor Vasarely (1906-1997).

Black Circle, Kazimir Malevich, 1920

Composition VIII, Theo Van Doesburg

Emotional or intuitive abstract art

This type of art covers a combination of styles, general theme of which there is a naturalistic tendency. This naturalism comes through in the shapes and colors used. Unlike geometric abstraction, which is almost anti-nature, intuitive abstraction often depicts nature, but in a less representational way. Two important sources for this type of abstract art are: organic abstraction (also called biomorphic abstraction) and surrealism. Perhaps the most famous artist A specialist in this art form was Russian-born Mark Rothko (1938-70). Other examples include Kandinsky's paintings such as Composition No. 4 (1911, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen) and Composition VII (1913, Tretyakov Gallery); Woman (1934, Private collection) Joan Miro (1893-1983) and Indefinite Divisibility (1942, Art gallery Allbright-Knox, Buffalo) Yves Tanguy (1900-55).

Indefinite divisibility, Yves Tanguy

Gestural (gestural) abstract art

Untitled, D. Pollock, 1949

This is a form of abstract expressionism where the process of creating a painting becomes more important than usual. For example, paint is applied in an unusual way, the strokes are often very loose and quick. Notable American exponents of gestural painting include Jackson Pollock (1912-56), inventor of Action-Painting, and his wife Lee Krasner (1908-84), who inspired him to invent his own technique, so-called "drip painting"; Willem de Kooning (1904-97), known for his work in the Woman series; and Robert Motherwell (1912-56). In Europe, this form is represented by the Cobra group, in particular Karel Appel (1921-2006).

Minimalist abstract art

Learning to Draw, Ed Reinhardt, 1939

This type of abstraction was peculiar avant-garde art, stripped of all external links and associations. This is what you see - and nothing more. It often takes on a geometric shape. This movement is dominated by sculptors, although it also includes some great artists such as Ad Reinhardt (1913-67), Frank Stella (b. 1936), whose paintings are large in scale and include clusters of form and color; Sean Scully (born 1945) Irish-American artist whose rectangular forms of color seem to imitate the monumental forms of prehistoric structures. Also Joe Baer (b. 1929), Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015), Robert Mangold (b. 1937), Brice Marden (b. 1938), Agnes Martin (1912-2004) and Robert Ryman (b. 1930).

Elsworth Kelly

Frank Stella

It just so happens that often the viewer, seeing something incomprehensible, inexplicable and beyond logic on the canvas, boldly declares: “Abstraction. Definitely". In some ways, of course, he is right. The fact is that this direction in art has moved away from the existing reality of depicting forms and gives priority to the harmonization of color, shape and composition as a whole. The fundamentals of the universe are beyond the usual perception, something deeper and more philosophical. What is noteworthy is that the number of fans of abstract painting is growing every year, and paintings written in this style occupy top positions in leading auction houses peace.

The first abstract work of art is in National Museum Georgia and belongs to the brush of Wassily Kandinsky. It is this artist who is considered the founder of abstract art in painting.

Wassily Kandinsky “Painting with a circle”, oil on canvas, 100.0 × 150.0 cm,

Tbilisi. Georgian National Museum

The most famous and successful abstract artists are Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich and Piet Mondrian. Each is a legendary figure in the art of the 20th century.

Wassily Kandinsky - Russian painter, graphic artist and theorist fine arts, one of the founders of abstract art

Kazimir Malevich is a Russian and Soviet avant-garde artist, art theorist, and philosopher. The founder of Suprematism - one of the earliest manifestations of abstract art.

Piet Mondrian - Dutch artist, one of the founders of abstract painting

It was abstractionism that gave rise to the development of such trends in art as cubism, expressionism, op art and others.
By the way, the most expensive painting in the world written in the style of abstract expressionism. Large-scale canvas American artist Jackson Pollock's “Number 5” was sold at a private auction at Sotheby's for $140 million.

Jackson Pollcock, No. 5, 1948, oil on fibreboard, 243.8 × 121.9 cm, private collection, New York

Interesting sound abstract painting in the interior. It brings rigor and conciseness to the office, and at home it will add energy and bright colors. This kind of painting will fit perfectly into any room design; it is enough to choose the right color scheme, emphasizing general style. Perhaps there is still one nuance - it is better to place the picture on a plain wall of pastel colors.

Among the young modern authors those working in this direction are definitely worth noting, and. In the artists’ paintings we see notes of lyrical abstractionism, where the connection between emotional experiences, smooth flows and color fantasies of the creator is so organic.

Vladimir Ekhin “Summer Memories”, hardboard, acrylic, oil, 60 cm x 80 cm

Polina Orlova, “Morning”, oil on canvas, acrylic, 60 cm x 50 cm, 2014

Danila Berezovsky “2”, oil on canvas, 55 cm x 45 cm, 2015

Ilya Petrusenko, “Sunset”, oil on canvas, 40 cm x 50 cm, 2015

We invite you to take a walk through ours and enjoy. Buy your favorite painting Crimean artists You can safely click on the “Buy in one click” button and our managers will contact you within 24 hours for .

Love art and may there always be comfort and prosperity in your home!

Abstractionism is a relatively young art movement. The year of its birth is officially recognized as 1910, when the artist Wassily Kandinsky exhibited the first canvas in new technology, written in watercolor.

Representatives of abstract art take simple and complex shapes, lines, planes as the basis for creating their own masterpieces and play with color. What comes out in the end has nothing to do with real objects. This is a work that is accessible only to the superconscious through the sensory world of the individual.

Over the decades after the appearance of the first work in this style, abstractionism underwent various changes and was actively introduced into other avant-garde movements.

(Abstraction by Carol Hein)

Within the framework of abstract art, people of art created numerous paintings, sculptures, and installations. Certain elements have been used and continue to be successfully introduced, including into the interiors of modern premises.

Today, the abstract movement in art is divided into geometric and lyrical abstraction. The geometric direction of abstractionism is characterized by strict and clear lines and stable states. Lyrical abstraction is characterized by free form and demonstration of dynamics set by the master or artist.

Abstract art in painting

It was with painting that abstractionism began its development. On canvas and paper, it was revealed to the world through the play of color and lines, recreating something that had no analogues in the real objective world.

(...and a clearer abstraction by Carol Hein)

Prominent representatives of abstract art are:

• Kandinsky;
• Malevich;
• Mondrian.

Later they had many followers, each of whom made their own artistic contribution, using new techniques for applying paint and new principles for creating an abstract composition.

(Wassily Vasilyevich Kandinsky "Composition IV")

The founders of the movement, creating their masterpieces on canvas, relied on new scientific and philosophical theories. For example, Kandinsky, justifying his own artistic creations, appealed to the theosophical works of Blavatsky. Mondrian was a representative of neoplasticism and actively used clean lines and colors in his works. His paintings were repeatedly copied by many representatives of the field of painting and art. Malevich was an ardent supporter of the theory of Suprematism. The master gave primacy in the art of painting to color.

(Kazimir Malevich "Composition of geometric figures")

In general, abstractionism in painting turned out to be a dual direction for ordinary people. Some considered such works to be a dead end, while others sincerely admired the ideas that artists put into their creations.

Despite the chaotic nature of lines, shapes and colors, paintings and works of art in the style of abstractionism create a single composition that is holistically perceived by the audience.

Art movements abstract art

Works in the style of abstract art are difficult to clearly classify, since they this direction there are many followers, each of whom contributed their own vision to development. In general, it can be divided according to the type of predominance of lines or techniques. Today there are:

• color abstractionism. Within these works, artists play with colors and shades, placing emphasis in their works on their perception by the mind of the beholder;
• geometric abstractionism. This trend has its own strict characteristic differences. These are clear lines and shapes, the illusion of depth and linear perspectives. Representatives of this direction are suprematists, neoplasticists;
• expressive abstractionism and tachisme. The emphasis in these branches is not on colors, shapes and lines, but on the technique of applying paint, through which dynamics are set, emotions are conveyed and the unconscious of the artist is reflected, working without any preliminary plan;
• minimalist abstractionism. This trend is closer to the avant-garde. Its essence boils down to the absence of references to any associations. Lines, shapes and colors are used concisely and to a minimum.

The emergence of abstractionism as a movement in art was the result of changes that were in the air at the beginning of the last century, associated with numerous new discoveries that began to move humanity forward. Everything new and still incomprehensible required the same explanation and solution, including through art.

Since ancient times, the beauty of the surrounding world, experiences and significant events in life have encouraged people to convey visual images with the help of paints. Painting has passed long haul from rock paintings and antique frescoes to unique works of art that amaze with realism.

TO end of the 19th century century, some artists began to look for new ways of expression, trying to bring an unconventional view into their works, new philosophy. From that time on, mastering the technique perfectly was no longer enough.

Thus, at the turn of the century, a movement called “modernism” appeared with its inherent revision classical art, a challenge to established aesthetic canons. Within its framework, a completely special movement developed - abstractionism.

Definition of the concept

The Latin word abstractio is translated into Russian as “distraction.” It was used to define a new style of painting that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. It was not used by chance, since abstract artists, without giving of great importance level of performance, the author’s special vision and new means of expression were put in the foreground.

In other words, abstractionism is a specific type of fine art that refuses to convey real forms and objects. Therefore, it is often characterized as non-figurative or non-objective art.

Instead of conveying visual images, abstractionists focus on displaying internal, intuitive patterns of comprehension of the world that are hidden behind visible objects.

For this reason, it is impossible to find associations with familiar things. Main role The relationship between colors, spots, geometric shapes and lines plays here. In addition to artists, some sculptors, architects, designers, musicians, photographers and even poets became interested in the art of abstraction.

Historical milestones

Wassily Kandinsky is considered to be the founder of abstract art. In 1910, he painted his first painting in Germany using a new technique at that time. Moreover, in 1911, Kandinsky’s book “On Spiritual Art” was published in Munich.

In it he outlined his aesthetic philosophy, which was formed under the influence of the works of R. Steiner and E. Blavatsky. The book was a huge success, and a new movement in painting was called “abstractionism.” This became the starting point: now the non-objective approach to creativity has gained popularity in various types of fine art.

Despite the fact that the origins of abstract art were Russian artists such as V. Kandinsky and K. Malevich, in the Soviet Union of the 30s the new direction was ostracized. During the Second World War, America became the center of abstract art, where many of its representatives immigrated from Europe. Here, back in 1937, the Museum of Non-Objective Painting was opened.

Post-war abstract art went through several stages of development, including the revival of non-figurative art in Russia with the beginning of perestroika. Artists finally had the opportunity to create paintings in different directions. They transferred personal subjective experiences onto canvases with the help of color, especially white, which became one of the main components of modern non-objective art.

Directions of abstractionism

From the first years of the emergence of a new type of visual creativity, two main directions began to develop within its framework: geometric and lyrical. The first was reflected in the works of Kazimir Malevich, Peter Mondrian, Robert Delaunay and others. The lyrical direction was developed by Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock, Hans Hartung, etc.

Geometric abstractionism uses ordered figures, planes and lines, while lyrical abstractionism, on the contrary, operates with chaotically scattered spots of color. In turn, on the basis of these two directions, other movements were formed associated with the abstractionism of a single aesthetic concept: systematism, constructivism, suprematism, orphism, tachisme, neoplasticism, rayonism.

Rayonism and lyrics

Discoveries in the field of physics at the beginning of the 20th century served as an impetus for the emergence of such a movement within the geometric direction as rayonism. At its origins were Russian artists M. Larionov and N. Goncharova. According to their idea, any object is a sum of rays that are transmitted on the canvas by oblique colored lines. The artist's task is to create a form from them in accordance with his own aesthetic vision.

And in the 50s of the last century, geometric abstraction, including Rayonism, temporarily gave way to the lyrical direction. It is characterized by improvisational performance, as well as an appeal to the emotional state of the artist. In other words, lyrical abstractionism is a kind of snapshot of a person’s mental experiences, made without depicting objects and forms.

Kandinsky's geometric lyricism

As already noted, the style of abstract art owes its appearance to V. Kandinsky. Preparing for a career as a lawyer, he subsequently became interested in painting and, having gone through the stages of passion in various directions modernism, created his own, unique type of abstract painting.

Having proclaimed a departure from nature to the essence of phenomena, Kandinsky dealt with the problems of bringing color and music together. In addition, the influence of symbolism in relation to color interpretation is clearly visible in his work.

IN different periods Throughout his life, the artist was fond of either the geometric or the lyrical direction. As a result, abstractionism in Kandinsky's paintings, especially late period, combines the principles of both movements.

Neoplasticism by Peter Mondrian

The Dutchman P. Mondrian, along with V. Kandinsky, is considered one of the founders of abstract art. Together with his followers, the artist founded the “Style” society in 1917, which published a magazine of the same name.

Mondrian's aesthetic views formed the basis of a new direction - neoplasticism. His characteristic feature- the use of large rectangular planes, painted in the primary colors of the spectrum. This can certainly be classified as geometric abstract art.

Paintings by Mondrian P., obsessed with the balance of horizontals and verticals, are canvases consisting of rectangles of different sizes and different colors, separated by thick black lines.

Neoplasticism had a noticeable influence on architecture, furniture design, interior design, as well as typographic art.

Malevich's Suprematism

Abstractionism in the art of Kazimir Malevich is characterized by a certain technique of superimposing two layers of paint to obtain a special kind of color spot. The artist's name is associated with the emergence of Suprematism - a movement that combines the simplest geometric shapes of different colors.

Malevich created his own unique system of abstract fine art. His famous “Black Square”, painted on a white background, is still one of the most discussed paintings by abstract artists.

At the end of his life, Malevich returned from non-figurative painting to figurative painting. True, in some paintings the artist still tried to combine the techniques of realism and Suprematism, as can be seen in the painting “Girl with a Pole”.

Undeniable contribution

Attitudes towards non-objective painting vary widely: from categorical rejection to sincere admiration. However, there is no denying the influence he had on contemporary art genre abstractionism. Artists created new directions, from which architects, sculptors, and designers drew fresh ideas.

And this trend continues. For example, in modern non-objective painting a plot direction is developing, which is characterized by the construction of an image that evokes certain associations.

Sometimes we don’t even notice how many objects made using this technique surround us: furniture and its upholstery, jewelry, desktop wallpapers, etc. In Photoshop and computer graphics Abstract techniques are also widely used.

Thus, abstractionism is an artistic phenomenon in art, which, regardless of our attitude towards it, occupies important place in modern society.