It’s human nature to sort everything into shelves, find a place for everything and give it a name. This can be especially difficult to do in art, where talent is such a category that it does not allow squeezing a person or an entire movement into a cell of a general ordered catalog. Abstractionism is just such a concept. It has been debated for over a century.

Abstractio - distraction, separation

Expressive means of painting are line, shape, color. If we separate them from extra values, links and associations, they will become ideal, absolute. Plato also spoke about the true, correct beauty of straight lines and geometric figures. The absence of an analogy between what is depicted and real objects opens the way for the influence on the viewer of something still unknown, inaccessible to ordinary consciousness. Artistic meaning the painting itself should be higher than the importance of what it depicts, because talented painting gives birth to a new sensory world.

This is how the artist-reformers reasoned. For them, abstractionism is a way of searching for methods that have previously unseen power.

New century - new art

Art critics argue about what abstract art is. Art historians passionately defend their point of view, filling in the blank spots in the history of abstract painting. But the majority agreed on the time of his birth: in 1910 in Munich, Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) exhibited his work “Untitled. (First abstract watercolor).”

Soon Kandinsky, in his book “On the Spiritual in Art,” proclaimed the philosophy of a new movement.

The main thing is the impression

One should not think that abstractionism in painting arose in empty space. The Impressionists showed a new meaning of color and light in painting. At the same time, the role of linear perspective, exact observance of proportions, etc. became less important. All the leading masters of that time came under the influence of this style.

The landscapes of James Whistler (1834-1903), his “nocturnes” and “symphonies”, are surprisingly reminiscent of the masterpieces of abstract expressionist artists. By the way, Whistler and Kandinsky had synesthesia - the ability to endow colors with sound of a certain property. And the colors in their works sound like music.

In the works of Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), especially in the late period of his work, the shape of the object changes, acquiring a special kind of expressiveness. It is not for nothing that Cezanne is called the forerunner of Cubism.

General movement forward

Abstractionism in art took shape as a single movement in the course of the general progress of civilization. Intellectuals were excited by new theories in philosophy and psychology, artists were looking for connections spiritual world and material, personality and space. Thus, Kandinsky, in his justification of the theory of abstraction, relies on ideas expressed in the theosophical books of Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891).

Fundamental discoveries in physics, chemistry, and biology changed ideas about the world and the power of human influence on nature. Technological progress has reduced the scale of the earth, the scale of the Universe.

With the rapid development of photography, many artists decided to give it a documenting function. They argued: the job of painting is not to copy, but to create a new reality.

Abstract art is a revolution. AND talented people with sensitive mental attunements we felt: the time for social change was coming. They weren't wrong. The twentieth century began and continued with unprecedented upheavals in the life of the entire civilization.

Founding Fathers

Along with Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935) and the Dutchman Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) were at the origins of the new movement.

Who doesn’t know Malevich’s “Black Square”? Since its appearance in 1915, it has excited both professionals and ordinary people. Some see it as a dead end, others as a simple outrage. But all the master’s work speaks of the opening of new horizons in art, of moving forward.

The theory of Suprematism (Latin supremus - highest), developed by Malevich, asserted the primacy of color among other means of painting, likened the process of painting a picture to the act of Creation, “ pure art"in the highest sense. Deep and external signs Suprematism can be found in the works and contemporary artists, architects and designers.

The work of Mondrian had the same influence on subsequent generations. His neoplasticism is based on the generalization of form and the careful use of open, undistorted color. Straight black horizontal and vertical lines on a white background form a grid with cells of different sizes, and the cells are filled with local colors. The expressiveness of the master’s paintings encouraged artists either to creatively comprehend them or to blindly copy them. Artists and designers use abstractionism to create very real objects. Mondrian motifs are especially common in architectural projects.

Russian avant-garde - poetry of terms

Russian artists turned out to be especially receptive to the ideas of their compatriots - Kandinsky and Malevich. These ideas fit especially organically into the turbulent era of the birth and formation of a new social system. The theory of Suprematism was transformed by Lyubov Popova (1889-1924) and (1891-1956) into the practice of constructivism, which had a particular influence on new architecture. Objects built in that era are still studied by architects all over the world.

Mikhail Larionov (1881-1964) and Natalya Goncharova (1881-1962) became the founders of Rayonism or Regionalism. They tried to display the intricate interweaving of rays and light planes emitted by everything that fills the surrounding world.

Alexandra Esther (1882-1949), (1882-1967), Olga Rozanova (1886-1918), Nadezhda Udaltsova (1886-1961) participated at different times in the Cubo-Futurist movement, who also worked on poetry.

Abstractionism in painting has always been an exponent of extreme ideas. These ideas irritated the authorities totalitarian state. In the USSR, and later in fascist Germany ideologists quickly determined what kind of art would be understandable and necessary for the people, and by the early 40s of the twentieth century, the center of development of abstract art moved to America.

Channels of one stream

Abstract art is a rather vague definition. Wherever the object of creativity does not have a concrete analogy in the surrounding world, they speak of abstraction. In poetry, in music, in ballet, in architecture. In the fine arts, the forms and types of this direction are especially diverse.

The following types of abstract art in painting can be distinguished:

Color compositions: in the space of the canvas, color is the main thing, and the object dissolves in the play of colors (Kandinsky, Frank Kupka (1881-1957), Orphist (1885-1941), Mark Rothko (1903-1970), Barnett Newman (1905-1970)) .

Geometric abstractionism is a more intellectual, analytical type of avant-garde painting. He rejects linear perspective and the illusion of depth, solving the issue of the relationship of geometric forms (Malevich, Mondrian, elementalist Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931), Josef Albers (1888-1976), follower of op art (1906-1997)).

Expressive abstractionism - the process of creating a picture is especially important here, sometimes the very method of applying paint, as, for example, among the Tachiists (from tache - stain) (Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), Tachis painter Georges Mathieu (1921-2012), Willem de Kooning ( 1904-1997), Robert Motherwell (1912-1956)).

Minimalism is a return to the origins of the artistic avant-garde. The images are completely devoid of external references and associations (b. 1936), Sean Scully (b. 1945), Ellsworth Kelly (b. 1923)).

Is abstract art a thing of the past?

So what is abstract art now? Now you can read on the Internet that abstract painting- that's a thing of the past. Russian avant-garde, black square - who needs it? Now is the time for speed and clear information.

Information: one of the most expensive paintings in 2006 was sold for more than 140 million dollars. It is called “No. 5.1948”, the author is Jackson Pollock, an expressive abstract artist.

Abstractionism is a relatively young art movement. The year of its birth is officially recognized as 1910, when the artist Wassily Kandinsky exhibited the first canvas in new technology, written in watercolor.

Representatives of abstract art take simple and complex shapes, lines, planes and play with color. What comes out in the end has nothing to do with real objects. This is a work that is accessible only to the superconscious through the sensory world of the individual.

Over the decades after the appearance of the first work in this style, abstractionism underwent various changes and was actively introduced into other avant-garde movements.

(Abstraction by Carol Hein)

Within the framework of abstract art, people of art created numerous paintings, sculptures, and installations. Certain elements have been used and continue to be successfully introduced, including into the interiors of modern premises.

Today, the abstract movement in art is divided into geometric and lyrical abstraction. The geometric direction of abstractionism is characterized by strict and clear lines and stable states. Lyrical abstraction is characterized by free form and demonstration of dynamics set by the master or artist.

Abstract art in painting

It was with painting that abstractionism began its development. On canvas and paper, it was revealed to the world through the play of color and lines, recreating something that had no analogues in the real objective world.

(...and a clearer abstraction by Carol Hein)

Prominent representatives of abstract art are:

• Kandinsky;
• Malevich;
• Mondrian.

Later they had many followers, each of whom made their own artistic contribution, using new techniques for applying paint and new principles for creating an abstract composition.

(Wassily Vasilyevich Kandinsky "Composition IV")

The founders of the movement, creating their masterpieces on canvas, relied on new scientific and philosophical theories. For example, Kandinsky, justifying his own artistic creations, appealed to the theosophical works of Blavatsky. Mondrian was a representative of neoplasticism and actively used clean lines and colors in his works. His paintings were repeatedly copied by many representatives of the field of painting and art. Malevich was an ardent supporter of the theory of Suprematism. The master gave primacy in the art of painting to color.

(Kazimir Malevich "Composition of geometric figures")

In general, abstractionism in painting turned out to be a dual direction for ordinary people. Some considered such works to be a dead end, while others sincerely admired the ideas that artists put into their creations.

Despite the chaotic nature of lines, shapes and colors, paintings and works of art in the style of abstractionism create a single composition that is holistically perceived by the audience.

Art movements abstract art

Works in the style of abstract art are difficult to clearly classify, since this direction has many followers, each of whom contributed their own vision to development. In general, it can be divided according to the type of predominance of lines or techniques. Today there are:

• color abstractionism. Within these works, artists play with colors and shades, placing emphasis in their works on their perception by the mind of the beholder;
• geometric abstractionism. This trend has its own strict characteristic differences. These are clear lines and shapes, the illusion of depth and linear perspectives. Representatives of this direction are suprematists, neoplasticists;
• expressive abstractionism and tachisme. The emphasis in these branches is not on colors, shapes and lines, but on the technique of paint application, through which dynamics are set, emotions are conveyed and the unconscious of the artist is reflected, working without any preliminary plan;
• minimalist abstractionism. This trend is closer to the avant-garde. Its essence boils down to the absence of references to any associations. Lines, shapes and colors are used concisely and to a minimum.

The emergence of abstractionism as a movement in art was the result of changes that were in the air at the beginning of the last century, associated with numerous new discoveries that began to move humanity forward. Everything new and still incomprehensible required the same explanation and solution, including through art.

For me, the style of abstractionism is, first of all, opposition to the logic of civilization. The whole history of civilization last century built on formulas, algorithms, principles, equations and rules. However, it is human nature to strive for balance and harmony. In this connection, at the dawn of the century of the scientific and technological revolution, such an art movement appears, which does not obey the classical canons of drawing, but, on the contrary, serves as its goal to give freedom to the unconscious and chaotic, at first glance devoid of meaning, but thereby giving a person the opportunity to free himself from influence of norms and dogmas and maintain internal harmony.

Abstractionism(from the Latin abstractus - remote, abstract) a very broad movement in the art of the 20th century, which arose in the early 1910s in several European countries. Abstractionism is characterized by the use of exclusively formal elements to display reality, where imitation or accurate representation of reality was not an end in itself.

The founders of abstract art are Russian artists and the Dutchman Piet Mondrian, the Frenchman Robert Delaunay and the Czech Frantisek Kupka. Their method of drawing was based on the desire for “harmonization,” the creation of certain color combinations and geometric shapes in order to evoke various associations in the beholder.

In abstractionism, two clear directions can be distinguished: geometric abstraction, based primarily on clearly defined configurations (Malevich, Mondrian), and lyrical abstraction, in which the composition is organized from freely flowing forms (Kandinsky). There are also several other large independent movements in abstract art.

Cubism- an avant-garde movement in fine art that originated at the beginning of the 20th century and is characterized by the use of emphatically conventional geometric forms, the desire to “split” real objects into stereometric primitives.

Regionalism (Rayism)- a direction in abstract art of the 1910s, based on the shift of light spectra and light transmission. The idea of ​​the emergence of forms from the “intersection of reflected rays of various objects” is characteristic, since what a person actually perceives is not the object itself, but “the sum of the rays coming from the light source and reflected from the object.”

Neoplasticism- designation of the direction of abstract art that existed in 1917-1928. in Holland and united artists grouped around the magazine “De Stijl” (“Style”). Characteristic are clear rectangular shapes in architecture and abstract painting in the arrangement of large rectangular planes, painted in the primary colors of the spectrum.

Orphism- direction to French painting 1910s. Orphist artists sought to express the dynamics of movement and the musicality of rhythms with the help of “regularities” of the interpenetration of the primary colors of the spectrum and the mutual intersection of curved surfaces.

Suprematism- a movement in avant-garde art founded in the 1910s. Malevich. It was expressed in combinations of multi-colored planes of the simplest geometric shapes. The combination of multi-colored geometric shapes forms balanced asymmetrical suprematist compositions permeated with internal movement.

Tachisme- a movement in Western European abstract art of the 1950s-60s, most widespread in the USA. It is painting with spots that do not recreate images of reality, but express the unconscious activity of the artist. Strokes, lines and spots in tachisme are applied to the canvas with quick movements of the hand without a pre-thought-out plan.

Abstract expressionism- the movement of artists painting quickly and on large canvases, using non-geometric strokes, large brushes, sometimes dripping paint onto the canvas, to fully reveal emotions. The expressive painting method here is often as important as the painting itself.

Abstract art (lat. abstractio– removal, distraction) or non-figurative art- a direction of art that abandoned the depiction of forms close to reality in painting and sculpture. One of the goals of abstract art is to achieve “harmonization” by depicting certain color combinations and geometric shapes, evoking in the viewer a feeling of completeness and completeness of the composition. Prominent figures: Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Natalya Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov, Piet Mondrian.

Story

Abstractionism(art under the sign of “zero forms”, non-objective art) – artistic direction, formed in the art of the first half of the 20th century, completely refusing to reproduce the forms of the real visible world. The founders of abstract art are considered to be V. Kandinsky , P. Mondrian And K. Malevich.

V. Kandinsky created his own type of abstract painting, freeing the impressionist and “wild” stains from any signs of objectivity. Piet Mondrian arrived at his non-objectivity through the geometric stylization of nature initiated by Cézanne and the Cubists. Modernist movements of the 20th century, focused on abstractionism, completely depart from traditional principles, denying realism, but at the same time remaining within the framework of art. The history of art experienced a revolution with the advent of abstract art. But this revolution did not arise by chance, but quite naturally, and was predicted by Plato! In his late work Philebus, he wrote about the beauty of lines, surfaces and spatial forms in themselves, independent of any imitation of visible objects, from any mimesis. This kind of geometric beauty, unlike the beauty of natural “irregular” forms, according to Plato, is not relative, but unconditional, absolute.

20th century and modern times

After World War I, 1914-18, the tendencies of abstract art often manifested themselves in individual works by representatives of Dadaism and surrealism; At the same time, there was a desire to find application for non-figurative forms in architecture, decorative art, and design (experiments of the Style group and Bauhaus). Several groups of abstract art (“Concrete Art”, 1930; “Circle and Square”, 1930; “Abstraction and Creativity”, 1931), uniting artists of various nationalities and movements, arose in the early 30s, mainly in France. However, abstract art did not become widespread at that time, and by the mid-30s. the groups broke up. During the Second World War 1939–45, a school of so-called abstract expressionism arose in the United States (painters J. Pollock, M. Tobey etc.), which developed after the war in many countries (under the name Tachisme or “formless art”) and proclaimed as its method “pure mental automatism” and the subjective subconscious impulsiveness of creativity, the cult of unexpected color and texture combinations.

In the second half of the 50s, installation art and pop art arose in the United States, which somewhat later glorified Andy Warhol with his endless circulation of portraits of Marilyn Monroe and cans of dog food - collage abstractionism. In the fine arts of the 60s, the least aggressive, static form of abstraction, minimalism, became popular. Then Barnett Newman, founder of American geometric abstract art along with A. Liberman, A. Held And K. Noland were successfully engaged further development ideas of Dutch neoplasticism and Russian Suprematism.

Another movement of American painting is called “chromatic” or “post-painterly” abstractionism. Its representatives were to some extent inspired by Fauvism and Post-Impressionism. Rigid style, emphatically sharp outlines of the work E. Kelly, J. Jungerman, F. Stella gradually gave way to paintings of a contemplative melancholic nature. In the 70s and 80s, American painting returned to figurativeness. Moreover, such an extreme manifestation as photorealism has become widespread. Most art historians agree that the 70s are the moment of truth for American art, since during this period it finally freed itself from European influence and became purely American. However, despite the return of traditional forms and genres, from portraits to historical painting, abstractionism has not disappeared either.

Paintings and works of “non-representational” art were created as before, since the return to realism in the USA was overcome not by abstractionism as such, but by its canonization, the ban on figurative art, which was identified primarily with our socialist realism, and therefore could not help but be considered odious in a “free democratic” society, a ban on “low” genres, on social functions art. At the same time, the style of abstract painting acquired a certain softness that it lacked before - streamlined volumes, blurred contours, richness of halftones, subtle color solutions (E. Murray, G. Stefan, L. Rivers, M. Morley, L. Chese, A. Bialobrod).

All these trends laid the foundation for the development of modern abstractionism. There can be nothing frozen or final in creativity, since that would be death for it. But no matter what path abstractionism takes, no matter what transformations it undergoes, its essence always remains unchanged. It is that abstractionism in fine art is the most accessible and noble way to capture personal existence, and in a form that is most adequate - like a facsimile print. At the same time, abstractionism is a direct realization of freedom.

Directions

In abstractionism, two clear directions can be distinguished: geometric abstraction, based primarily on clearly defined configurations (Malevich, Mondrian), and lyrical abstraction, in which the composition is organized from freely flowing forms (Kandinsky). There are also several other large independent movements in abstract art.

Cubism

An avant-garde movement in fine art that originated at the beginning of the 20th century and is characterized by the use of emphatically conventional geometric forms, the desire to “split” real objects into stereometric primitives.

Regionalism (Rayism)

A movement in abstract art of the 1910s, based on the shift of light spectra and light transmission. The idea of ​​the emergence of forms from the “intersection of reflected rays of various objects” is characteristic, since what a person actually perceives is not the object itself, but “the sum of the rays coming from the light source and reflected from the object.”

Neoplasticism

Designation of the movement of abstract art that existed in 1917–1928. in Holland and united artists grouped around the magazine “De Stijl” (“Style”). Characteristic are clear rectangular shapes in architecture and abstract painting in the arrangement of large rectangular planes, painted in the primary colors of the spectrum.

Orphism

Direction in French painting of the 1910s. Orphist artists sought to express the dynamics of movement and the musicality of rhythms with the help of “regularities” of the interpenetration of the primary colors of the spectrum and the mutual intersection of curved surfaces.

Suprematism

A movement in avant-garde art founded in the 1910s. Malevich. It was expressed in combinations of multi-colored planes of the simplest geometric shapes. The combination of multi-colored geometric shapes forms balanced asymmetrical suprematist compositions permeated with internal movement.

Tachisme

A movement in Western European abstract art of the 1950s–60s, which became most widespread in the United States. It is painting with spots that do not recreate images of reality, but express the unconscious activity of the artist. Strokes, lines and spots in tachisme are applied to the canvas with quick movements of the hand without a pre-thought-out plan.

Abstract expressionism

The movement of artists painting quickly and on large canvases, using non-geometric strokes, large brushes, sometimes dripping paint onto the canvas to fully reveal emotions. The expressive painting method here is often as important as the painting itself.

Abstractionism in the interior

IN lately abstractionism began to move from the paintings of artists into the cozy interior of the house, updating it advantageously. A minimalist style using clear forms, sometimes quite unusual, makes the room unusual and interesting. But it’s very easy to overdo it with color. Consider the combination of orange color in this interior style.

White best dilutes the rich orange and, as it were, cools it down. The color of orange makes the room feel hotter, so a little; won't hurt. The emphasis should be on the furniture or its design, for example, an orange bedspread. In this case, white walls will drown out the brightness of the color, but will leave the room colorful. In this case, paintings of the same scale will serve as an excellent addition - the main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise there will be problems with sleep.

Combination of orange and blue flowers detrimental to any room, unless it concerns the nursery. If you choose not bright shades, they will harmonize well with each other, add mood, and will not have a detrimental effect even on hyperactive children.

Orange goes well with green, creating the effect of a tangerine tree and a chocolate tint. Brown is a color that ranges from warm to cool, so it ideally normalizes the overall temperature of the room. In addition, this color combination is suitable for the kitchen and living room, where you need to create an atmosphere without overloading the interior. Having decorated the walls in white and chocolate colors, you can calmly place an orange chair or hang a bright picture with a rich tangerine color. While you are in such a room, you will be in a great mood and want to do as many things as possible.

Paintings by famous abstract artists

Kandinsky was one of the pioneers of abstract art. He began his search in impressionism, and only then came to the style of abstractionism. In his work, he exploited the relationship between color and form to create an aesthetic experience that embraced both the vision and the emotions of the viewer. He believed that complete abstraction provides scope for deep, transcendent expression, and copying reality only interferes with this process.

Painting was deeply spiritual for Kandinsky. He sought to convey the depth of human emotion through a universal visual language of abstract shapes and colors that would transcend physical and cultural boundaries. He saw abstractionism as an ideal visual mode that can express the artist’s “inner necessity” and convey human ideas and emotions. He considered himself a prophet whose mission was to share these ideals with the world for the benefit of society.

Hidden in bright colors and clear black lines depict several Cossacks with spears, as well as boats, figures and a castle on top of a hill. Like many paintings from this period, it imagines an apocalyptic battle that will lead to eternal peace.

To facilitate the development of a non-objective style of painting, as described in his work On the Spiritual in Art (1912), Kandinsky reduces objects to pictographic symbols. By removing most references to the outside world, Kandinsky expressed his vision in a more universal way, translating the spiritual essence of the subject through all these forms into a visual language. Many of these symbolic figures were repeated and refined in his later works, becoming even more abstract.

Kazimir Malevich

Malevich's ideas about form and meaning in art somehow lead to a concentration on the theory of abstract art style. Malevich worked with different styles in painting, but was most focused on the study of pure geometric forms (squares, triangles, circles) and their relationship to each other in pictorial space. Thanks to his contacts in the West, Malevich was able to convey his ideas about painting to artist friends in Europe and the United States, and thus profoundly influence the evolution of modern art.

"Black Square" (1915)

The iconic painting “Black Square” was first shown by Malevich at an exhibition in Petrograd in 1915. This work embodies the theoretical principles of Suprematism developed by Malevich in his essay “From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism: New Realism in Painting.”

On the canvas in front of the viewer there is an abstract form in the form of a black square drawn on a white background - it is the only element of the composition. Although the painting appears simple, there are elements such as fingerprints and brush strokes visible through the black layers of paint.

For Malevich, the square signifies feelings, and the white signifies emptiness, nothingness. He saw the black square as a god-like presence, an icon, as if it could become a new sacred image for non-figurative art. Even at the exhibition, this painting was placed in the place where an icon is usually placed in a Russian house.

Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian, one of the founders of the Dutch De Stijl movement, is recognized for the purity of his abstractions and methodical practice. He simplified the elements of his paintings quite radically in order to represent what he saw not directly, but figuratively, and to create a clear and universal aesthetic language in his canvases. At its most famous paintings Since the 1920s, Mondrian has reduced forms to lines and rectangles, and the palette to the simplest. The use of asymmetrical balance became fundamental in the development of modern art, and his iconic abstract works remain influential in design and are familiar to popular culture today.

"The Gray Tree" is an example of Mondrian's early transition to style abstractionism. Three-dimensional wood is reduced to the simplest lines and planes, using just grays and blacks.

This painting is one of a series of works by Mondrian that were created with a more realistic approach, where, for example, trees are represented in a naturalistic manner. While later works became increasingly abstract, for example, the lines of a tree are reduced until the shape of the tree is barely noticeable and secondary to the overall composition of vertical and horizontal lines. Here you can still see Mondrian's interest in abandoning the structured organization of lines. This step was significant for Mondrian's development of pure abstraction.

Robert Delaunay

Delaunay was one of the most early artists abstractionism style. His work influenced the development of this direction, based on the compositional tension that was caused by the opposition of colors. He quickly fell under the neo-impressionist coloristic influence and very closely followed the color scheme of works in the abstract style. He considered color and light to be the main tools with which one can influence the reality of the world.

By 1910, Delaunay made his own contribution to Cubism in the form of two series of paintings depicting cathedrals and the Eiffel Tower, which combined cubic forms, the dynamics of movement and bright colors. This new way The use of color harmony helped to separate this style from orthodox Cubism, receiving the name Orphism, and immediately influenced European artists. Delaunay’s wife, artist Sonia Turk-Delone, continued to paint in the same style.

Delaunay's main work is dedicated to the Eiffel Tower - famous symbol France. This is one of the most impressive of a series of eleven paintings dedicated to the Eiffel Tower between 1909 and 1911. It is painted bright red, which immediately distinguishes it from the grayness of the surrounding city. The impressive size of the canvas further enhances the grandeur of this building. Like a ghost, the tower rises above the surrounding houses, in figuratively shaking the very foundations of the old order. Delaunay's painting conveys this feeling of boundless optimism, innocence and freshness of a time that has not yet witnessed two world wars.

Frantisek Kupka

Frantisek Kupka is a Czechoslovakian artist who paints in the style abstractionism, graduated from the Prague Academy of Arts. As a student, he primarily painted on patriotic themes and wrote historical compositions. His early works were more academic, however, his style evolved over the years and eventually moved into abstract art. Written in a very realistic manner, even his early works contained mystical surreal themes and symbols, which was preserved when writing abstractions. Kupka believed that the artist and his work take part in a continuous creative activity, the nature of which is not limited, like an absolute.

“Amorpha. Fugue in two colors" (1907-1908)

Beginning in 1907-1908, Kupka began to paint a series of portraits of a girl holding a ball in her hand, as if she were about to play or dance with it. He then developed more and more schematic images of it, and eventually received a series of completely abstract drawings. They were made in a limited palette of red, blue, black and white flowers. In 1912, at the Salon d'Automne, one of these abstract works was publicly exhibited in Paris for the first time.

Modern abstract artists

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, artists, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Kazemir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, have been experimenting with the shapes of objects and their perception, and also questioning existing canons in art. We have prepared a selection of the most famous contemporary abstract artists who decided to push their boundaries of knowledge and create their own reality.

German artist David Schnell(David Schnell) loves to wander through places that used to be filled with nature, but are now cluttered with human buildings - from playgrounds to factories. Memories of these walks give birth to his bright abstract landscapes. Giving free rein to his imagination and memory, rather than to photographs and videos, David Schnell creates paintings that resemble computer virtual reality or illustrations for science fiction books.

By creating your own large-scale abstract paintings, American artist Christine Baker(Kristin Baker) draws inspiration from the history of art and the racing of Nascar and Formula 1. She first gives her work dimension by applying several layers of acrylic paint and covering the silhouettes with tape. Christine then carefully peels it off, revealing the underlying layers of paint and making the surface of her paintings look like a multi-layered, multi-colored collage. At the very last stage of the work, she scrapes off all the irregularities, making her paintings feel like an x-ray.

In her works the artist Greek origin from Brooklyn, New York Eleanna Anagnos(Eleanna Anagnos) explores aspects everyday life that often escape people's attention. During her “dialogue with the canvas” ordinary concepts acquire new meanings and facets: negative space becomes positive and small forms increase in size. Trying to breathe “life into her paintings” in this way, Eleanna tries to awaken the human mind, which has stopped asking questions and being open to something new.

Giving birth to bright splashes and smudges of paint on the canvas, the American artist Sarah Spitler(Sarah Spitler) strives to reflect chaos, disaster, imbalance and disorder in her work. She is attracted to these concepts because they are beyond human control. Therefore, their destructive power makes Sarah Spitler's abstract works powerful, energetic and exciting. Besides. the resulting ink image on canvas, acrylic paints, graphite pencils and enamel emphasizes the ephemerality and relativity of what is happening around.

Inspired by architecture, the artist from Vancouver, Canada, Jeff Dapner(Jeff Depner) creates multi-layered abstract paintings consisting of geometric shapes. In the artistic “chaos” he creates, Jeff seeks harmony in color, form and composition. Each of the elements in his paintings is connected to each other and leads to the next: “My works explore the compositional structure [of a painting] through the relationships of colors in the chosen palette...”. According to the artist, his paintings are “abstract signs” that should take viewers to a new, unconscious level.

The beauty of the surrounding world, experiences and significant events in life since ancient times encouraged a person to convey visual images using paints. Painting has passed long haul from rock paintings and antique frescoes to unique works of art that amaze with realism.

TO end of the 19th century century, some artists began to look for new ways of expression, trying to bring an unconventional view and a new philosophy into their works. From that time on, mastering the technique perfectly was no longer enough.

Thus, at the turn of the century, a movement called “modernism” appeared with its inherent revision classical art, a challenge to established aesthetic canons. Within its framework, a completely special movement developed - abstractionism.

Definition of the concept

The Latin word abstractio is translated into Russian as “distraction.” It was used to define a new style of painting that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. It was not used by chance, since abstract artists, without giving of great importance level of performance, the author’s special vision and new means of expression were put in the foreground.

In other words, abstract art is a specific type fine arts, refusing to convey real forms and objects. Therefore, it is often characterized as non-figurative or non-objective art.

Instead of transfer visual images abstractionists focus on displaying internal, intuitive patterns of comprehension of the world that are hidden behind visible objects.

For this reason, it is impossible to find associations with familiar things. Main role The relationship between colors, spots, geometric shapes and lines plays here. In addition to artists, some sculptors, architects, designers, musicians, photographers and even poets became interested in the art of abstraction.

Historical milestones

Wassily Kandinsky is considered to be the founder of abstract art. In 1910, he painted his first painting in Germany using a new technique at that time. Moreover, in 1911, Kandinsky’s book “On Spiritual Art” was published in Munich.

In it he outlined his aesthetic philosophy, which was formed under the influence of the works of R. Steiner and E. Blavatsky. The book was a huge success, and a new movement in painting was called “abstractionism.” This became the starting point: now the non-objective approach to creativity has gained popularity in various types of fine art.

Despite the fact that the origins of abstract art were Russian artists such as V. Kandinsky and K. Malevich, in the Soviet Union of the 30s the new direction was ostracized. During the Second World War, America became the center of abstract art, where many of its representatives immigrated from Europe. A Museum was opened here back in 1937 non-objective painting.

Post-war abstract art went through several stages of development, including the revival of non-figurative art in Russia with the beginning of perestroika. Artists finally had the opportunity to create paintings in different directions. They transferred their personal subjective experiences onto canvases with the help of color, especially white, which became one of the main components of modern non-objective art.

Directions of abstractionism

From the first years of the emergence of a new type of visual creativity, two main directions began to develop within its framework: geometric and lyrical. The first was reflected in the works of Kazimir Malevich, Peter Mondrian, Robert Delaunay and others. The lyrical direction was developed by Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock, Hans Hartung, etc.

Geometric abstractionism uses ordered figures, planes and lines, while lyrical abstractionism, on the contrary, operates with chaotically scattered spots of color. In turn, on the basis of these two directions, other movements were formed, associated with abstractionism by a single aesthetic concept: systematism, constructivism, Suprematism, Orphism, Tachisme, Neoplasticism, Rayonism.

Rayonism and lyrics

Discoveries in the field of physics at the beginning of the 20th century served as an impetus for the emergence of such a movement within the geometric direction as rayonism. At its origins were Russian artists M. Larionov and N. Goncharova. According to their idea, any object is a sum of rays that are transmitted on the canvas by oblique colored lines. The artist's task is to create a form from them in accordance with his own aesthetic vision.

And in the 50s of the last century, geometric abstraction, including Rayonism, temporarily gave way to the lyrical direction. It is characterized by improvisational performance, as well as an appeal to emotional state artist. In other words, lyrical abstractionism is a kind of snapshot of a person’s mental experiences, made without depicting objects and forms.

Kandinsky's geometric lyricism

As already noted, the style of abstract art owes its appearance to V. Kandinsky. Preparing for a career as a lawyer, he subsequently became interested in painting and, having gone through the stages of passion in various directions modernism, created his own, unique type of abstract painting.

Having proclaimed a departure from nature to the essence of phenomena, Kandinsky dealt with the problems of bringing color and music together. In addition, the influence of symbolism in relation to color interpretation is clearly visible in his work.

IN different periods Throughout his life, the artist was fond of either the geometric or the lyrical direction. As a result, abstractionism in Kandinsky's paintings, especially late period, combines the principles of both movements.

Neoplasticism by Peter Mondrian

The Dutchman P. Mondrian, along with V. Kandinsky, is considered one of the founders of abstract art. Together with his followers, the artist founded the “Style” society in 1917, which published a magazine of the same name.

Mondrian's aesthetic views formed the basis of a new direction - neoplasticism. Its characteristic feature is the use of large rectangular planes, painted in the primary colors of the spectrum. This can certainly be classified as geometric abstract art.

Paintings by Mondrian P., obsessed with the balance of horizontals and verticals, are canvases consisting of rectangles of different sizes and different colors, separated by thick black lines.

Neoplasticism had a noticeable influence on architecture, furniture design, interior design, as well as typographic art.

Malevich's Suprematism

Abstractionism in the art of Kazimir Malevich is characterized by a certain technique of superimposing two layers of paint to obtain a special kind of color spot. The artist's name is associated with the emergence of Suprematism - a movement that combines the simplest geometric shapes of different colors.

Malevich created his unique system of abstract fine arts. His famous “Black Square”, painted on a white background, is still one of the most discussed paintings by abstract artists.

At the end of his life, Malevich returned from non-figurative painting to figurative painting. True, in some paintings the artist still tried to combine the techniques of realism and Suprematism, as can be seen in the painting “Girl with a Pole”.

Undeniable contribution

Attitudes towards non-objective painting vary widely: from categorical rejection to sincere admiration. Nevertheless, one cannot deny the influence that the abstract art genre has had on modern art. Artists created new directions, from which architects, sculptors, and designers drew fresh ideas.

And this trend continues. For example, in modern non-objective painting a plot direction is developing, which is characterized by the construction of an image that evokes certain associations.

Sometimes we don’t even notice how many objects made using this technique surround us: furniture and its upholstery, jewelry, desktop wallpaper, etc. Abstract techniques are also widely used in Photoshop and computer graphics.

Thus, abstractionism is an artistic phenomenon in art, which, regardless of our attitude towards it, occupies important place in modern society.