Abstract art is a visual language that uses shape, form, color, and line to create compositions independent from visual references in the world. It emerged as a distinct movement in Europe during the 19th century when artists sought to encompass fundamental changes taking place in technology, science, and philosophy. Abstract art exists along a continuum, with verisimilitude at one end and total abstraction at the other.
Abstractism Art Movement
Abstract art is a visual language that uses shape, form, color, and line to create compositions independent from visual references in the world. It emerged as a distinct movement in Europe during the 19th century when artists sought to encompass fundamental changes taking place in technology, science, and philosophy. Abstract art exists along a continuum, with verisimilitude at one end and total abstraction at the other.
History of Abstractism
The history of abstract art can be traced back to the 19th century when artists like James McNeill Whistler began placing greater emphasis on visual sensation than depiction of objects. Romanticism, Impressionism, and Expressionism contributed to its development by advancing artistic independence for artists and emphasizing objective interest in what is seen. Early intimations of abstract art can be found in the paintings of John Constable, J. M. W. Turner, Camille Corot, and the Impressionists who continued the plein air painting of the Barbizon school.
Expressionist painters explored bold use of paint surface, drawing distortions and exaggerations, and intense color. They produced emotionally charged paintings that were reactions to contemporary experience and perceptions of reality. Although artists like Edvard Munch and James Ensor drew influences principally from the work of the Post-Impressionists, they were instrumental to the advent of abstraction in the 20th century.
Abstract Expressionism
Abstract expressionism emerged as a distinct art movement in the United States in the immediate aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s. It was influenced by surrealism, German Expressionism, Futurism, the Bauhaus, and Synthetic Cubism. Key figures in the New York School included Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, Norman Lewis, Willem de Kooning, and Theodoros Stamos among others.
Abstract expressionism was seen as rebellious and idiosyncratic, encompassing various artistic styles. It led to the development of several post-war art movements and styles, including Pop art, Minimalism, and Neo-expressionism. The movement was notably influenced by spontaneous and subconscious creation methods of Surrealist artists like André Masson and Max Ernst.
American Abstract Artists
American Abstract Artists (AAA) was founded in 1937 in New York City to promote and foster public understanding of abstract art. AAA exhibitions, publications, and lectures helped establish the organization as a major forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas and for presenting abstract art to a broader public.
The American Abstract Artists group contributed to the development and acceptance of abstract art in the United States and has a historic role in its avant-garde. It is one of the few artists’ organizations to survive from the Great Depression and continue into the 21st century.
Conclusion
Abstractism art movement emerged as a distinct movement during the 19th century in Europe and gained mainstream acceptance in the United States during the 1950s. It exists along a continuum, with verisimilitude at one end and total abstraction at the other. Abstract expressionism was influenced by surrealism, German Expressionism, Futurism, the Bauhaus, and Synthetic Cubism. American Abstract Artists (AAA) played a significant role in promoting public understanding of abstract art.