Abstract art pictures often divide opinion as to whether they should be considered to be art or not. And consequently it seems that you are either an avid fan of abstract canvas pictures, or not. However, in many cases finding out the meaning and the thought process behind the abstract canvas art is enough to help people to understand better- and to even sway their opinions on the piece of art in question.

Here is our guide to understanding abstract art better.

Abstract art is usually more representational, as opposed to an exact copy of a person, object or landscape that a photograph would be able to portray. In many cases, abstract artwork is the polar opposite of the image you would see in reality. Instead, many abstract artists focus on the intensity of the colours, the interesting textures and patterns that they see before them, or aim to create an overall mood to portray their vision. Abstract artwork can also be a distorted view of something you would see in real life, and there is a wide array of different styles of abstract art- including cubism and Fauvism to choose from.

Abstract art has been developed on the concept that there is a significant amount of power and value in the colours, shapes and textures that we see, and often overlook on a daily basis. The abstract artists often use these elements and their materials and vision to convey their emotion, in order to provoke a response. However, while some believe art should depict reality, others believe in the carefree nature of abstract art, which became a fully recognised art form around the 20th century.

Opposed to realistic artistic representations, which everyone can clearly see and appreciate, abstract artwork is not clear straight away and because of this is often overlooked by many, and goes somewhat unappreciated.

Abstract artwork requires the viewer to examine it in great depth, to truly appreciate it and to feel the emotions it is deigned to evoke. In many cases people have not been taught how to study abstract art properly, and it is not until they have been educated on this art form that they can truly comprehend the meaning behind it. Viewing the abstract art through the eyes which only accept traditional expectations of art provokes a poorer response that one where the viewer has had the learning and experience to understand abstract art.

Some of the most popular types of abstract artwork include action painting, whereby the artist uses the movement and action and natural properties of their materials to produce the artwork. One famous examples of an artist that uses action art is Jackson Pollack, who has created a numerous amount of artwork by dribbling the paint in a downwards motion onto canvas.

Abstract artwork is one of the hardest forms of art to critique, as there is nothing you can compare it to besides other abstract artworks. Even the abstract art which has been inspired by reality is so far removed it is difficult to decide what the art was originally based upon.

The best advice we can offer about looking at abstract art is that it is not meant to be true to life, but has been created to trigger an emotional response.

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