Abstracts

[Bojangles]

Poly and Pissdrunk,

 

I really don't think either of those would be considered abstracts unfortunately.

 

I'd say they float closer to the realm of surrealism maybe?

...Judges?

[Polyethylene]

For something to be abstracted means there's a reductive take on an image/object's structure which can in some cases be elaborated upon or stylized in some way. Having identifiable images doesn't violate whatever loose parameters the definition of abstract art entails. Sure, if I claimed that the illustration was in the vein of abstract expressionism then I'd be totally wrong.

 

 

 

With cubism and some other parts of Picasso's work it's an abstraction from a specific form or image where it's stylized and altered.

 

As I understand it, Surrealism has much more to do with narrative and subverting the normalcy and nature of the scene itself.

 

 

Moreover I dread to think what kind of crap people would come up with if someone started a "post your surrealist art" thread.

[Polyethylene]

beavis and butthead do america white zombie peyote trip scene.

 

For the uninitiated

[guku]

My analysis, speaking with a non-degrading tone:

 

The image that pissdrunk posted is definitely abstract or close to it, and it is reminiscent of Wols. Even though there are numerals in the painting, numerals are not figuration, nor are they a depiction of reality or life. Numbers are just geometric shapes, and man gives them a definition, as opposed to an actual human body or figure that has a definition, or is a representation of life..... In Autism, there is an issue with the neurons in the brain sending and receiving information( data

processing) consistently and correctly, which leads to social dysfunctions and abnormal behavior. However, I believe there is a mental liberty in Autism that the avg and regular mind will never be able to attain, which is why some people who have autism are hallmarked as idiot savants........brilliant ass minds with no limitations on what is or isn't ....now that is some serious abstraction.

 

 

Poly, your picture is impressionism, or a form of it. It is not abstract, because it reflects life or how life is viewed. The impression that life has left on the painter, or the impression that his experiences have left on him are quite large and vivid in the painting. The shapes are not only identifiable, but they are emotional and sentimental....There is too much reality going on, and that cannot be.

 

As for Picasso, Picasso was not an abstract painter, nor was his paintings abstract. His cube form and his many different painting periods were reflections of his visualization of what life was to him. His paintings were life based. There was an impression, something to investigate and redefine. ..He redefined the human body and its many characteristics..

 

In geometrikism and abstractism( plastic, tashism, etc), there is no reflection. There is no impression. There is no reshaping of flesh or life. There is nothing....The painter draws from within, and veers away from the realm of identity..There is no emotion. There is no sentiment, just an action that projects shapes, color and orientation. ...it is a state of nothingness where something exists.

 

again, my analysis....but keep drawing.

[Polyethylene]

"Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art. This departure from accurate representation can be only slight, or it can be partial, or it can be complete. Abstraction exists along a continuum. Even art that aims for verisimilitude of the highest degree can be said to be abstract, at least theoretically, since perfect representation is likely to be exceedingly elusive. Artwork which takes liberties, altering for instance color and form in ways that are conspicuous, can be said to be partially abstract."

-wikipedia

 

I'm not dense enough to think that what I posted is really firm, concrete abstract art because there's identifiable depictions of things in it but what it's also comprised of is abstractions of organic lines and contours that are used to fill a space. Going by this rather vague definition, nearly anything can be argued to be abstract art insofar as anything that deviates from a photorealistic interpretation qualifies it as such.

 

What the drawing in question however most certainly is not is impressionistic. And I only feel like arguing it because there are much more specific and historical qualities to its definition:

 

"Characteristics of Impressionist paintings include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes; open composition; emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time); common, ordinary subject matter; the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience; and unusual visual angles. The development of Impressionism in the visual arts was soon followed by analogous styles in other media which became known as Impressionist music and Impressionist literature."

-wikipedia

 

If anything it might be considered a strand of an expressionistic approach, but then we're back talking about abstract art.

[the.crooked]

@Guku:

 

I would venture to say that your very last paragraph there, belies the issue with your position:

 

"There is nothing.... The painter draws from within, and veers away from the realm of identity. THere is no emotion..."

 

That's just plain wrong. Go look at the abstract expressionists (of whom i would think most agree fall into the concept of Abstract Art) and tell me there was no vision, no feeling, no emotion. Rothko himself often criticized the perspective that his works were based in the abstraction of color theory. To the contrary he cited the evocation of human emotion as his sole pursuit.

 

Abstraction, as poly said, is the cognitive move away from a defined concept. Surrealism, also as noted is indeed much more to the idea of subversion from normalcy within the context of a visual narrative.

 

I think what people are mistaking here, is a form versus a style. Abstraction is a form, it is more general in its capacity and history, where as speaking of Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, etc, are all styles within the history of Art. Abstract art can be within all those styles, suffice to say that they are abstraction on "something."

 

Just tossing that out there. Personally I feel the line drawing is a little out of place in the context of the rest of the art in this thread, but that does not mean I do not understand it as abstract art.

[yomommasaho]

i like where this thread is going..

[guku]

If you are going to utilize the words and thoughts of other artists to explain or expound on a subject, then the window is wide open.

 

Pollack, in an interview to explicate his art, said that there was no thought or emotion behind his paintings. He stated that his paintings came from within, and that they were actions, or brushes driven by impulses. He also stated that his paintings were a reflection of nothing, and that he didn't need influences or ideas to generate his art........He just painted, just like evolution evolves.....Energy( evolution, nature) does not think about what it is, or how it feels.It acts and build upon itself with no regard to mood or sentience.

 

I cant remember the painter that stated the following: toddlers are the best abstractionists, because they just pick up a crayon and move. there are no pre-manifestations or ideas of drawing inside of the lines or outside of the lines, just scribble, scribble, scribble ( action, action, action) .

 

I think it was twombly that stated that..not sure.

 

Also, when I say the word " nothingness", it's is not limited to itself. I am not talking about a state of zero existence. I am talking about a state of zero feelings and zero figuration, or a state of zero life.....

 

Each painter has his( or her) own interpretation of what abstract means. I just provided mine, and there are others that think along those lines, and others that don't.

 

 

Poly,

 

Impression is more than a movement or a style, and it is definitely not limited to a color or orientation. Impression is also a mood, or an understanding acquired from an experience or observation, and those properties being rendered in a drawing or illustration....Painting, in general, regardless of the form, is an expression - projections pushing out to showcase or exhibit images. ....There are cats, signs, language, and an identifiable human face in the painting that you posted. Something or someone left an impression on the painter, and the images are just too direct to be solely abstract..

 

But, for what it is worth, I like the drawing.

[Polyethylene]

For one, I cited Wikipedia for both definitions given, but since we're on the subject Pollock also said the following: “The method of painting is the natural growth out of a need. I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.... When I am painting I have a general notion of what I am about. I can control the flow of paint: there is no accident, just as there is no beginning and no end.”

 

Here Pollock gives a rather nice and succinct statement on the spirit of action painting which now that I think about it and after looking at what you've posted both with the art and what you've said seems to be what's guiding your aesthetic. Regarding that, and given how dense your paintings are I'm compelled to ask what your process is like. Do you go through everything at once? Is each painting produced in a single throught or action? Either way I think my unsolicited advice would be to scale things back and work more minimally. To practice things like the relationship of lines to one another and how this feeds into composition. Work on establishing steady lines if you want to be doing anything, let alone dense imagery.

 

Twombly's definition of an abstractionist in the case of a child appears to me more a statement of aesthetic and technique. A child is an abstractionist insofar as her most concentrated work is comprised of abstract, scribbled and otherwise seemingly nonrepresentational elements. This is to say that abstract art is by its very nature primarily focused on action and that the product of said action is a reflection of itself. Action and movement is the only thing guiding the production of the art itself.

 

I don't believe in the individualized definition of abstract art that you just gave- the.crooked made a fine point before about the misunderstanding regarding the use of the term. It seems to be a confusion of style versus form- or in other words, asking "is that sufficiently abstract?" which is a question that certainly lends itself to spirited opinion, versus "is that an abstraction". The latter simply calls to question where art falls on a continuum of its likeness to experiential imagery.

 

The second inquiry relates to the definition of abstract art as previously posted and also is the justification I have for considering work with some representational qualities to still be considered abstract.

[guku]

There is going to always be a disharmony when it comes to the word abstraction, so I exist on the opposite side of the coin that we both share, and that is all that there is to it.. .There is no ultimate right and there is no ultimate wrong, just many, many interpretations of a single thing.

 

As far as Pollack goes, every word that he spewed could be ammunition for both sides...... His string style evolved from a pigment accident ; the dripping of the brush and clashing of hues gave him a different picture to consider, and he evolved from it. ......When he stated that he knew where to be at all times in his work, which was a figurative gesture, I see at as a point being made by him on being a concentrated action, and not referring to a goal or definition in his work.

 

In regards to my work, I do not post here for critiques, explanations or feedback. I post to share and to support the medium that I create in... I take an itinerary with the line( which is the function), and a color movement follows ( form). The techniques and the instruments that I use are laws that allow me to have an action, like how two human bodies are the instruments and laws to create a reproductive action, and the natural unknown happens from there.

 

 

I never critique art in the sense of what someone should or should not do, or what someone needs to work on. If I were to do that, it would not be that person's art. It would be my art. ....I want to see art, that is not my own, through someone else's eyes, not through mine; and I want to see it in their style and in their expression....

[the.crooked]

Guku-

 

Fair enough on the pollack quote. I sort of despise his drunk ass though.

[Fist 666]

(this shit just got real)

[the.crooked]

Also, way to bring twombly into this. Dude was mega beast.

[guku]

This is a real ass thread with some real ass artists ....I'm just happy to be along for the ride and being able to contribute.....

 

*daps to all those who are here and to all those who can't be here but want to be here*

[the.crooked]

So to sum up my position:

 

abstraction= form

variation on the concept= style

[CLEMENZA]

 

[Fist 666]

the depth on that second one is awesome.

[Poesia [ ] T]

T;5620792']Here is picture i posted in the canvas thread its not on here as a pure abstract as the first canvas has graffiti, but just an expample of using the clear coat. This one is gloss based they also have matte.

 

 

 

Wow its been 4 years since I painted this When i first came back to Painting regularly and canvas even farther back. This thread has been the basis and constant feedback appreciated. Now to compare what My work looks like now compared almost 4 years ago is crazy for me to even comprehend. This Style was based off an old piecing style I experimented with but never really perfected. See example

 

 

Now to compare this to what I am working on Now Ive progressed IMO immensely.

 

 

and canvas Which is symbolic because this paonting was painted directly over the first painting above I quoted.

 

[the.crooked]

killing.it.

 

Poesia- I'm gonna be back CA side come the fall. Let's actually catch up, have a few, shoot some pool and talk art. If you are up for it.

 

Those look stupid good, beeteedubs. The colors on the wall pop in a crazy way.

[CLEMENZA]

seriously, those last two are ridiculously dope

[Fist 666]

yep

[Poesia [ ] T]

Thanks. Here is the painting I was reinterpreting. Part of my old master interpretation series.

 

[Bojangles]

Poesia,

 

That black and yellow one made me stop in my tracks and say "Whoa!".

 

Then, when I scrolled down and say the original you were interpreting, I said "Whoa!" about your take on it again.

 

I love your colorful, flowing work, but the dark, somberness of that piece really hit me.

 

Also, great conversation on the last page.

 

Also-also, I agree with Fist about Clemenza's piece on this page.

[Bojangles]

Here's something new from me.

 

A series of 3.

 

 

Confidence, Pain, Virtue

(In Orbit: 1,2,3)

 

36"x36" canvasses

[Lewis and Clark]

 

eventually filled the rest of the top with design

 

 

and did this for a friends shop 3'x4''

 

 

practice... practice...practice..

[ERIZENO]

A test piece ... wanted to see if a krylon matte clear coat would allow me to use acryllics over 94. Ended up liking it enough to frame.

[T_R_O_N]

I lurk hard on the untitled thread due to me not having a camera at the moment to post some of my work since ive embarked on this journey called art school (painting and printmaking), but i just want to give everyone that contributes here props, this shit motivates me to get off my ass and think

[schism]

lots of awesome shit in this thread

 

poesia, that last jawn is vicious

lewis and clark, i really like the one with the girl. the balance between realistic and abstract is real cool, i been messin with stuff like that lately

[Bojangles]

Troubled Waters

 

Ride The Rapid

 

Hearts Of Men

 

Fantoms

 

Crossroads

[Fist 666]

ride the rapids.