The origins of abstract art can rightly be attributed to the imagination of man. Abstract art is distinguishable from fantasy art, which makes imaginative characters and myths its subject. It is closer to reality as it reflects the real in figurative terms. In other words, abstract art depicts real forms in a simplified or rather reduced way, keeping the original subject the same.
Abstract art did not originate all of a sudden nor is it the outcome of the 20th century thinkers. In the Jewish and Islamic religion, depiction of human beings was banned. As such, they took recourse to all forms of decorative and non-figurative arts or calligraphy.
Wassily Kandinsky is regarded as the inventor of non-figurative art in the 20th century. Gradually, his paintings moved out of figurative subjects. In 1910, he created the first figurative work of art- a watercolor sans any reference to reality. Kandinsky not only became the first abstract artist, he also took pains to promote it as a theorist. After Kandinsky, it was the Russian painter, Kasimir Malewich, who took abstract art to the next level. Melewich’s paintings mostly focused on simple geometrical forms.
The landmark events in the mid-twentieth century changed the course of abstract art. The World War II, persecution of Jewish people by Hitler, and denunciation of modern art by the Nazis led to the immigration of hundreds of avant-garde European artists into the United States of America, especially New York. This created a new wave in the American art scenario prompting the birth of Abstract Expressionism.
Abstract expressionism is more a concept of performing art than a style. This movement stresses the trend of pushing the conventional boundaries beyond all limits. Some of the famous artists of this movement are Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko.
Currently, there are two primary segments of abstract art. One segment, known as Color Field Abstract Art, features unified blocks of color. Mark Rothko is one of the pioneers of this genre. The second segment includes multiple genres- Surrealism, Expressionism, Cubism, and Action painting. Regardless of all these influences, the core of abstract art paintings remains the capturing of the essence of the artist’s subconscious on canvas.
By: Suzanne
Posts Tagged ‘Mid Twentieth Century’
Abstract Art: a Breakthrough in Artistic Expression
November 8th, 2009Art Colleges Around the World
November 5th, 2009Art Schools and Colleges art the colloquial term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, and sculpture.
At Saatchi Gallery you can see the List of Main Art Colleges around the World few of those are given as below.
Yale University
Since the mid-twentieth century, Yale has been a leader in the integration of the practice of painting, sculpture, photography, design, and new media into both undergraduate and graduate curricula.
Harvard University
The principal educational goal of the Visual and Environmental Studies Department (VES) is to provide students in a liberal arts college with an opportunity to gain an understanding of visual art and expression through both study and practice. The department aims to foster a dialogue among makers, critics, and theorists, and accordingly its faculty comprises individuals representing all of these areas.
University Of Oxford
Oxford is an historic and unique institution. As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, it can lay claim to nine centuries of continuous existence. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford.
University Of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is rich in history – its famous Colleges and University buildings attract visitors from all over the world. But the University’s museums and collections also hold many treasures which give an exciting insight into some of the scholarly activities, both past and present, of the University’s academics and students.
Royal College of Art
As the world’s only wholly postgraduate university institution of art and design we specialise in teaching and research, offering MA, MPhil and PhD degrees across the disciplines of fine art, applied art, design, communications and humanities. Along with an impressive roll call of visiting professors, lecturers and advisors, our students are given first-class opportunities for major collaborations with cultural and industrial partners.
California Institute of the Arts
The nation’s first art institute to offer BFAs and MFAs in both the visual and performing arts, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is dedicated to training and nurturing the next generation of professional artists, fostering brilliance and innovation within the broadest context possible. Emphasis is placed on new and experimental work and students are admitted solely on the basis of artistic ability.
By: Saatchi Gallery
