Abstractionism – Abstractionism or better known as abstract art is one of the many types of contemporary art that does not depict an object that exists in the original world.
Abstract art uses color and shape in a non-representational way. The term abstract art has been known since the early 20th century and is a genre that seeks to free artists from sensations and figurative associations about an object. For more about the flow of abstractionism or abstract art, see this article to the end.
Definition of Abstractionism Flow
Abstractionism or abstract art or intangible art is a type of contemporary art that does not depict an object in the real world. However, it uses a variety of colors and shapes in a non-representational way.
The flow of abstractionism can also be interpreted as art which is not easy to understand, if only seen at a glance. This is because, abstract art is not realistic and not naturalistic.
The art of abstractionism can also be interpreted as a school that seeks to escape from all forms of sensation and figurative associations of an object.
What is depicted in abstractionism art paintings does not show a particular object or object, besides that in abstractionism art paintings a combination of certain colors is also used.
In accordance with the understanding of the art of abstractionism, abstract art does not express something concrete. So that even abstract art seems more difficult to understand compared to arts that use other streams.
Because it has the impression that it is difficult to understand, then abstract art becomes a work of art for the elite and can only be understood by intellectuals. However, it is actually not that difficult to understand abstract art.
According to Louis Fichner in Understanding Art in 1995, abstract art is a form of simplification or distortion of other forms. So that there is only essence that is present in the painting when the artist tries to depict natural forms or other abstracted objects.
Abstraction in art can significantly change certain objects, so that they only become their essence.
In abstractionism paintings or works of art, visual elements are arranged in such a way as to convey certain messages and impressions. These visual elements have characters as well as symbolic meanings that abstract artists want to convey.
Characters and symbolic meanings of visual elements can imply a certain meaning desired by the artist.
Having existed since the early 20th century, historically abstract art in Indonesia has been divided into two main forms of abstract art, the two forms of which are abstract figurative art and abstract expressionism art.
Affandi and Popo Iskandar from Yogyakarta are the main representatives of abstract art. Meanwhile, the artist Ahmad Sadali A.D, a painter from Bandung, together with Pirous, Fadjar Sidik, and Umi Dachlan, are the main representatives of abstract expressionism in Indonesia.
Characteristics of Abstractionism Art
One of the characteristics of abstract art is that the form of the art can never be recognized, the form of abstract art has no relation to any form that has ever been seen by the eye.
However, if you look closely, the paintings from this abstract art will look like something. Colors and shapes and other additional materials when painting abstract art are the subjects of abstract paintings that make abstract art look more unique.
In the process of making it, abstract paintings are quite sensitive in terms of color composition and use more watercolors. Art with the flow of abstractionism uses more fluids, generally it can be classified as abstract art, which is a form of figurative abstraction.
Paintings and things that are not visual such as sound, emotion or spiritual experience are also included in figurative abstraction. Abstract figurative itself is an abstraction or simplification of reality.
Where the smallest part is removed from the object and can be recognized by leaving only the essence of the object or some degree of form that can be recognized by the eye.
To be clearer, here are the characteristics of abstract art.
1. An unrecognizable art form
The form of paintings with the flow of abstract art is generally difficult to recognize, this is in accordance with the understanding of the art of abstractionism, which has no form and does not have form. So, if you only look at it at a glance, it will be difficult for someone to identify the shape of the abstract painting.
2. It has a dense color composition
Paintings with abstract art flow are more sensitive to color composition. Generally, abstractionist paintings use paint with a more prominent color as the painting medium.
3. Having another side of a painting
The third characteristic of abstract art paintings is that they are able to present things that are not visual. Examples are emotions, spiritual experiences and sound and all other aspects of abstract art are not concrete.
History of Abstractionism
Historically, the art of abstractionism is closely related to images or fine arts. Relics from prehistory show that since thousands of years ago, humans have started making pictures on cave walls to portray important parts of human life.
Then humans also know the art of painting. This is because abstract paintings or abstract images are considered easy to make. A painting or drawing can be made using only simple materials, for example chalk, charcoal or other materials.
One of the well-known techniques in prehistoric drawing is what early humans did in caves, namely by pressing their hands against the walls of the cave, then spitting them out by chewing leaves or colored mineral stones.
In the beginning, the development of painting or the flow of abstract art was closely related to the development of human civilization. Whether it’s a language system, a way of survival, to belief are some of the influential aspects in the development of painting, including in the flow of abstractionism.
This influence is also evident in the types of objects, narratives and imagery in it. At that time, painting had a special function, namely as a medium for recording things that were considered important.
In addition, many early humans filled their free time with painting and drawing. Images are also a way to communicate which then stimulates the formation of a writing system. This is because letters originate from image symbols which are then simplified and standardized.
Then from time to time, some people spent more time painting, enjoying the paintings until finally humans began to become proficient at drawing and found that certain forms and arrangement of shapes would look more attractive if arranged.
On the other hand, humans have also begun to discover a sense of beauty in the paintings and drawings they have made. Then the flow of art continued to develop from what was originally in the form of abstract pictures painted by ancient humans, giving rise to other contemporary and modern art schools that have their own uniqueness.
Flow in Abstractionism
Abstractionism is a school of art that seeks to escape from the various sensations and figurative associations present in an object. In the flow of abstractionism, there are two different types of abstractionism, namely abstract cubist and non-figurative abstract. Here’s an explanation.
- Cubistic abstract, is abstract in pure geometric form, for example, is an abstract painting with a circle, cube or triangle shape.
- Non-figurative abstract is a pure abstract art flow as a form of expression of the artist’s feelings, where the lines in the abstract art represent lines, the colors present in the painting represent colors and so on. The natural form of a painting object is completely abandoned by the artist to form a new image with unique and pure characteristics.
Apart from these two types of abstractionism, there are also several schools of abstract art. Here’s an explanation.
1. Neo classic flow
In 1789, a revolution in France occurred which caused the end point of feudalism so that the influence of the revolution in France was felt in other parts of the world.
The French Revolution not only caused changes in the social and political order, but also involved the arts. Artists in 1789 began to be free to express their art, artists began to work not only based on orders, but also painted and created works because they wanted to.
In this way, the history of modern painting begins with a history marked by individualization and self-isolation. In 1784, Jacques Louis David became the first painter in modern art by painting the Horatii Oath.
JL David later became the father and pioneer of the neo-classical art genre. The neo-classical abstract flow, has the characteristics of being bound to intellectual and academic norms, has a harmonious and balanced form, has clean and static color boundaries, has a calm and majestic impression, his artwork tells a story about the palace environment and tends to exaggerate exaggerate.
2. Romantic flow
After the emergence of the neo-classical school, the romantic school emerged as a form of rebellion against the neo-classical school. Art with a romantic flow was first initiated by Jean Jacques Rousseau who invited artists to return to nature.
Art with a romantic flow tends to present more things that deal with individual feelings, longing or exotic things. The Romantic school has the following characteristics: a) it contains stories that tend to be emotional, b) the paintings are full of movement and dynamics, c) they use colors that are more lively and contrasting, d) they are able to arrange dynamic compositions, e) the art form of the Romantic school touches feelings and contain bitterness, f) romantic art, terrible and more than reality.
3. The flow of realism
Realism is a school of art that views the world without any illusions by using appreciation to discover the world. One of the figures from the flow of realism is Courbet, an artist who came from France.
In the art of realism, the artist will only depict an object that he has seen with his own eyes. Artists with a flow of realism will depict whatever they have encountered without any distortion and ideology or other processings.
Gustave Courbet as one of the figures of the realism school, views that painting is basically art that is concrete. Therefore, as an artist, he always displays what is real in life.
4. The flow of naturalism
Naturalism is a school of art that worships and loves nature at the same time. Artists with a flow of naturalism will describe the state of nature from interesting aspects. So that paintings with the flow of naturalism always have a theme about the beauty of nature.
5. Impressionist flow
Art with the impressionist flow generally shows works that are a little detailed and so blurry. Painting with the impressionist flow is also much influenced by weather conditions. This is because painting with the impressionist style is usually done outside the studio.
Generally, paintings with the Impressionist style do not have clear contours and only appear with color effects which then have certain forms.
Figures of Abstractionism
Here are some famous artists who adhere to abstractionism in their works of art.
1. Alexander Rodchenko
Born in 1891 on December 5 to be precise, Rodchenko is an artist as well as a sculptor, photographer and graphic designer originally from Russia. He is one of the leading artists who uses and popularizes abstractionism in his works of art.
2. Lazar Lissitzky
El Lissitzky is an artist as well as photographer, designer, typographer and architect from Russia. As an artist, El Lissitzky is one of the figures who shaped the popularization of abstractionism. His works greatly influenced the constructivist and Bauhaus movements and he succeeded in dominating graphic designs in the 20th century.
3. Wassily Kandinsky
Born December 16, 1866, Kandinsky was a painter and art theorist who was very influential in Russia. He is even considered the first artist to paint with pure abstractionism.
Wassily Kandinsky is one of the leading artists from the school of pure abstractionism in modern painting. After successfully holding various art exhibitions at Avant Garde, Kandinsky also formed a group that has influence in the City of Munich under the name Dew Blaue Reiter and began to make works of art totally with an abstract flow.
Kandinsky’s painting style changed from fluid to organic, then changed again to geometric until finally Kandinsky changed his painting style to pictogram elements.
4. Naum Gabo
An international artist figure who helped popularize abstractionism is Naum Gabo. he was one of the most influential sculptors and became a key figure in the Avant Garde after the Russian revolution erupted.
In his artworks, Naum Gabo often seems to combine abstract geometric flows with dynamic organizations to form reliefs and small constructions using various basic materials that were new at that time.
Apart from being an influential figure in spreading abstractionism, Naum Gabo is also seen in other art schools such as futurism, constructivism, cubism and others.
That is an explanation of the flow of abstractionism, its two types, understanding, characteristics to international figures who have been influential in spreading and helping to popularize abstractionism.
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