Abstract

An artist does not recreate their subject, but finds a way to represent it. The representation may be realistic, abstract, or somewhere in between.

Many viewers find abstract art unsettling. They have been told that abstract art is incomprehensible. However, the difference between realistic and abstract art is actually simple.

Realistic art focuses the viewer’s attention on the subject matter. Formal elements (line, shape, form, colour, composition, technique, etc.) are there, but are used in a way that causes them to recede into the background while the viewer thinks about the content. The critical viewer can still see and think about the formal elements, but this requires an effort.

Abstract art turns this around. It focuses even the untrained viewer’s thoughts on the formal elements, and de-emphasizes the subject. In its purest forms, such as abstract expressionism, the formal elements become the content.

Most of my artistic photography is abstract, to a greater or lesser degree. This gallery contains abstracts that don't clearly fit under another label.