Is abstract art just an excuse to be a bad artist?

A Journey from Realism to Abstract and Non-Objective Art, now on exhibit at the Charles H. Taylor Arts Center, has sparked interesting conversations about what constitutes 'art'. 

"I don't get it." 

Yeah, we've heard that in our galleries over the past few weeks.

The visual journey from photo realism, painterly style, expressionism to abstract and non-objective art can be hard to interpret sometimes. We like the recently published article in the Daily Press by Mark St. John Erickson: 

"A lot of people — including some artists — are not very open to abstract and non-objective work — or trying to understand it. So I wanted to find an instructive and enlightening way for them to look at these approaches and try to see how they're related."   -James Warwick Jones

Have an opinion? Here's your chance to vote.

Want to dig a little deeper? Here's a good approach offered by Ceci Manchetti of Artsicle:

"When looking at any artwork, most people’s first question tends to be “What is this about?” That’s a good place to start, but it won’t take you very far when looking at an abstract work—unless you’re willing to think more creatively.

With abstract painting, the piece can be “about” the paint on the canvas, as with Abstract Expressionism; it can be “about” the process of painting for an artist personally; it can even be about the meaning of abstract art itself! Does the painting convey a mood-state or atmosphere, like an Expressionist painting?

What does it prompt you to think about? Are you confronted with a particular color or shape? How does what you’re looking at make you feel? These are all sure-fire points of excavation: begin with asking yourself these kinds of questions and you’ll find the answers a lot less mysterious."

Armed with that good advice, get over to the show and tell us what you think and how you interpret abstract art.

See more ART! 

-HA