Friday, February 02, 2007

Abstract art

its sweet to hear from so many of you. Good convo, beth. Ya, I’d love to get some input on this. I talk about this periodically with students and non artists curious about abstract art. Below is my simplified argument, how else can I better explain this?

First, I encourage folks to approach Abstract Art HUMBLY. If art is a visual language/ expression/ communication, then it’s an extension or expression of men’s hearts. Therefore we approach it humbly as we would any other words or other expressions of men’s hearts. We don’t go up to people and tell them how stupid their ideas are or that our little brother could think that.

FORM - Next I tell folks to approach the visual part. What kinds of elements and principles are working together? Students enjoy finding many observations about color and line and shape.

CONTENT - And then consider content. Maybe the shapes and color are the content. Or maybe there is some symbolism or meaning that speaks of the artists world view. Though this often takes further research, it is helpful to see that this is a separate aspect to evaluate.

COMMON GRACE - Look for truth or beauty somewhere in the art. God gets the credit for anything good. and anything good somehow in a small way reflects God. what fun it is to enjoy truth and beauty!

3 comments:

beth said...

this is helpful connie... thanks...

Connie Z. said...

sure, well, i guess that argument is mostly aimed at people who don't "get" abstract art. so i'm not sure if i answered yr question...

Julia said...

(julia speaking) i think that's a good post connie. i like what you wrote about shapes/symbolism. bill does a lot of abstract work, and as a designer (always thinking objectively) it's hard for me to understand sometimes. but, the more i live with his paintings, the more i do look for relationships between colors, line qualities, etc. definitely a good idea to view it humbly.