jasmand.Painter.Writer.Creator
2. Exploring Abstract Art
Abstract art is visual music. The colors and designs form harmonies and melodies that resonate off the canvas and reverberate in the mind and heart of the viewer.
The beauty of abstract art is that it is open to interpretation. To understand abstract art you need an open and inquiring mind, and a big imagination. You must enter the painting and see where it takes you.
Abstract art gives you the freedom to explore the artwork and assign your own meaning to the piece. This intensely personal process enriches your experience of an artwork. In fact the influence of art is so personal, and speaks to the nonverbal parts of our existence, that it can't be explained adequately in words.You must let go of your need to put things into words, and let the artwork take you somewhere... even lift you into higher spheres!
Understanding abstract art requires an inventiveness that invites you to discover for yourself the meaning behind the work. It is not easy to grasp, like still lifes, portraits, or other form of representational art, because it is open to interpretation in a way that representational art is not.
Look at abstract art in the same way that you would listen to a symphony. When you listen to music, you don't try to hold on to the notes - you let them wash over you. Let your eyes wander over the painting the way the notes of a symphony wash over your soul. Let your eyes play with the painting, slipping around corners, following the twirls, twists and turns, dipping in and out of the surface. Let your eyes dance around the piece!
Rather than trying to figure out what the painting looks like, just allow yourself to be taken in by the painting. See what emotions, sensations or memories emerge. Let your eyes relax and travel around the piece without expectation. Examine the colors, forms, materials, texture, size and stroke of the paintbrush, shine or matte of the surface, and observe how they interact with each other. Watch how these elements affect you! Take your time. Let the painting "speak" to you!