by Sandra Vanderpool
Although the terms abstract, nonrepresentational and abstract expressionism are all used to describe paintings that are not realism, there is a difference. If the artist begins with a subject from reality, the artwork is considered to be abstract. If the artist creates with no reference to reality, then the work is considered to be non-objective or nonrepresentational. Nonrepresentational art may also be called abstract expressionism, which expresses a feeling or emotion---things that are not visible. The artist will use form, shape, color, and line to express emotion, feeling, or some other concept. However, the term abstract is the most used and accepted for all art that is not realism.
Nonrepresentational/abstract artists are individuals whose talent uses a visual language. Just as you hear musical notes joined together to create a pleasing song, nonrepresentational painters use a visual vocabulary made up of six basic elements: color, shape, texture, line, form and value. They are telling a story without words.
Non-objective art doesn’t represent anything that we see. It is not based on reality. It has no reference to the natural world. Instead, the painter uses colors and shapes, forms and gestural marks to achieve a thought or a feeling. They rely on intuition to guide them through their process as each painting develops over time.
Their paintings are therefore open to interpretation. When you look at a painting, does it invoke a thought or a feeling in you? Do you like the colors or do you feel it “speaks” to you in some way? The nonrepresentational artist wants you to have a visual experience, much like the experience you might enjoy if you close your eyes when listening to a beautiful song. Many songs mean something to you when you hear them. Look at abstract art with the same open mind. There is no need to know exactly what the artist is saying or what the painting is supposed to be about in order to appreciate it.
Most nonrepresentational/abstract artists draw and sketch very well, they have a good sense of composition, they understand how color works, what colors say. Most can paint realistic paintings that everyone can understand and relate to because it is recognizable, something you’re familiar with. The abstract artist is giving you a piece of themselves when they paint an abstract painting. It’s not just paint thrown onto a canvas. Most nonrepresentational artists know what they are doing and rely on a lifetime of experiences, knowledge, skill and intuition to convey a thought or feeling.
The artist wants their art to speak to you on a personal level and need no explanation. Art is an experience. Let go of your need to see something in the painting. It is what it is, just enjoy what you feel when you are viewing it. Take some time and look at the entire painting, let it take your mind somewhere and enjoy the journey. The art allows you to decide what it’s about. It’s a personal experience. The person standing next to you may have a completely different response, they may feel a different emotion. They may like the painting for a totally different reason, they may like the colors, the composition, or the form. Maybe it speaks to them in a different way. That’s the beauty of a nonrepresentational or abstract painting. It’s up to the individual to give it his/her own interpretation. Nonrepresentational art does not begin with a “thing” or a subject from which a distinctive abstract view is formed. Instead, it is “nothing” but what the artist intended it to be and what the viewer perceives.