“I don’t understand abstract art.”<\/p>\n\n
That’s probably one of the things I hear most often.<\/p>\n\n
When looking at an abstract painting, many people immediately search for something recognizable: a figure, a landscape, an animal, a familiar shape\u2026 And when nothing stands out clearly, a sense of frustration can set in.<\/p>\n\n
But what if the problem stemmed precisely from this desire to understand?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Abstract painting isn’t necessarily something to be viewed as a puzzle to be solved. It can simply be experienced and felt. <\/p>\n\n And that is exactly what I would like to discuss in this article.<\/p>\n\n When we look at a figurative painting, our brain immediately has points of reference.<\/p>\n\n We recognize a face, a tree, a house, a landscape\u2026 We can identify the subject and begin to build a story around it.<\/p>\n\n In abstract painting, these points of reference disappear to some extent.<\/p>\n\n And that is precisely what makes it so powerful.<\/p>\n\n When looking at an abstract work of art, you might focus on the colors, contrasts, movement, textures, depth, tones, or simply the overall impression the painting conveys.<\/p>\n\n You don’t necessarily need to ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n “What did the artist intend to depict?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n The best question might be:<\/p>\n\n “How does this painting make me feel?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n That is a fundamental difference.<\/p>\n\n We naturally tend to want to make sense of what we observe.<\/p>\n\n We want to understand, identify, and classify.<\/p>\n\n Yet some artistic endeavors work perfectly well without undergoing this analysis.<\/p>\n\n Choose a piece of instrumental music.<\/p>\n\n You can be deeply moved by a piece of music without being able to explain exactly why. A chord, a musical crescendo, or just a few notes can give you goosebumps. <\/p>\n\n You aren’t necessarily trying to translate every note into a concept.<\/p>\n\n You feel it.<\/p>\n\n To me, abstract painting can work in exactly the same way.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n A combination of colors, a certain light, a sense of depth, or a movement can stir something within you without the need for an explanation.<\/p>\n\n This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about abstraction.<\/p>\n\n Since there isn’t necessarily an identifiable subject, some people think:<\/p>\n\n “In the end, all you have to do is throw paint on a canvas.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Of course, some artists rely heavily on chance, gesture, or splatter. And even a simple paint splatter can certainly evoke an emotion. <\/p>\n\n But that’s not how I work.<\/p>\n\n In my practice, there are a great many decisions behind every abstract painting.<\/p>\n\n In particular, I work on:<\/p>\n\n When you look at the finished painting, all you see is the result.<\/p>\n\n But behind certain forms that seem spontaneous, there is sometimes a great deal of research, revisions, and fine-tuning.<\/p>\n\n Abstraction, therefore, is not necessarily the absence of technique.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n On the contrary, it can require true mastery to successfully convey an emotion without relying on an immediately recognizable subject.<\/p>\n\n It’s something that happens to me all the time.<\/p>\n\n We’re looking at one of my paintings, and someone says to me:<\/p>\n\n “I see a horse’s head!”<\/p>\n\n “Look, I see a phoenix!”<\/p>\n\n “Look, there’s a face!”<\/p>\n\n “I see a dancer!”<\/p>\n\n And sometimes I just reply:<\/p>\n\n I definitely didn’t paint that!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n This phenomenon has a name: pareidolia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n This refers to our tendency to recognize familiar shapes in objects that were not necessarily created to represent them.<\/p>\n\n The classic example is that of clouds.<\/p>\n\n You look up at the sky, and suddenly:<\/p>\n\n “Look, it looks like a dog!”<\/p>\n\n Someone else might see a face or a dragon in that exact same cloud.<\/p>\n\n The same thing can happen when looking at an abstract painting.<\/p>\n\n Your brain looks for points of reference and connects certain shapes to things it already knows.<\/p>\n\n Of course not.<\/p>\n\n Everyone is free to view a painting however they wish.<\/p>\n\n If someone sees a horse in one of my paintings and that interpretation brings them joy, that’s fine.<\/p>\n\n But personally, I sometimes think it’s a shame to stop there.<\/p>\n\n Because if it was absolutely not my intention to paint a horse, trying to analyze the quality of this famous horse doesn’t make much sense anymore.<\/p>\n\n We then risk missing out on the most interesting aspects that abstraction has to offer:<\/p>\n\n an emotion that, in fact, doesn’t need to be translated into an object or a story.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Try, every now and then, to look at an abstract painting without immediately searching for something recognizable.<\/p>\n\n Just take a look.<\/p>\n\n Let the colors come.<\/p>\n\n Look into the depths.<\/p>\n\n Notice how your gaze moves.<\/p>\n\n Above all, pay attention to how you feel.<\/p>\n\n There is another trend that really bothers me: the insistence on attributing a psychological meaning to every element of a painting.<\/p>\n\n Let’s take the red one.<\/p>\n\n Some people will immediately associate it with blood, violence, anger, or the artist’s inner suffering.<\/p>\n\n But why?<\/p>\n\n Red can also evoke love.<\/p>\n\n Passion.<\/p>\n\n Power.<\/p>\n\n Poppies in a field.<\/p>\n\n Positive energy.<\/p>\n\n Or simply\u2026 a really beautiful color!<\/p>\n\n A color obviously has visual characteristics. A deep red is highly eye-catching and can become a dominant element in a composition. <\/p>\n\n But that doesn’t automatically mean that the artist is trying to express something violent.<\/p>\n\n We should be wary of ready-made interpretations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n A work of art can evoke a certain response in you without that emotion necessarily matching the creator’s intention.<\/p>\n\n That’s actually something I find fascinating.<\/p>\n\n Two people can look at the exact same painting and feel completely different things.<\/p>\n\n One might see something powerful and luminous in it.<\/p>\n\n The other one is something dark.<\/p>\n\n A third person might simply appreciate the colors.<\/p>\n\n A fourth person might not feel anything at all.<\/p>\n\n And that’s perfectly normal.<\/p>\n\n Your personal history, your sensibilities, your current mood, and your own frame of reference all influence your perception.<\/p>\n\n That is also why I remain cautious when someone claims to be able to explain an artist’s psychology with certainty simply by looking at his or her paintings.<\/p>\n\n An interpretation sometimes says as much about the viewer as it does about the artist.<\/p>\n\n I completely understand people who say to me:<\/p>\n\n “I don’t understand abstract art at all.”<\/p>\n\n Because I, too, may have had that reaction in the past.<\/p>\n\n Then one day, I came across an abstract painting that left a deep impression on me.<\/p>\n\n I didn’t try to figure out what she stood for.<\/p>\n\n I didn’t look for any hidden characters.<\/p>\n\n Something just happened.<\/p>\n\n A connection.<\/p>\n\n An extremely powerful emotion.<\/p>\n\n And that experience changed the way I look at abstract painting.<\/p>\n\n Above all, she gave me an irresistible urge to paint.<\/p>\n\n Since then, abstraction has become, for me, a field of exploration with virtually no limits.<\/p>\n\n I also sometimes hear this idea:<\/p>\n\n “Now that you’re doing abstract art, the next step will be to do figurative art.”<\/p>\n\n As if there were a set sequence:<\/p>\n\n abstract \u2192 figurative \u2192 true artist.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n That doesn’t make any sense to me.<\/p>\n\n There is no single way to be an artist.<\/p>\n\n I’ve already experimented with figurative art. I could keep doing it if I wanted to. <\/p>\n\n But these days, it’s abstraction that fascinates me.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n I like this partial loss of control.<\/p>\n\n I like to start with almost nothing, develop an idea, gradually build a world, and use my technical skills to fine-tune the composition as I go.<\/p>\n\n Above all, I love that freedom.<\/p>\n\n The playground is huge.<\/p>\n\n Ah\u2026 abstract painters are very familiar with that one, too!<\/p>\n\n On social media, comments can sometimes be particularly blunt:<\/p>\n\n “My son is doing better.”<\/p>\n\n “That’s not art.”<\/p>\n\n “It’s not even worth hanging in my bathroom.”<\/p>\n\n Or:<\/p>\n\n “You’re not an artist; you’re a decorator.”<\/p>\n\n Over time, I’ve learned to take this kind of comment much less to heart.<\/p>\n\n Well-reasoned and constructive criticism can be valuable.<\/p>\n\n But when someone is simply trying to hurt you, it’s often best to keep your distance\u2026 and sometimes just laugh it off.<\/p>\n\n Creating also means accepting that not everyone will connect with what you do.<\/p>\n\n This is probably one of the most important messages I’d like to convey to the artists reading this.<\/p>\n\n Your painting will never please everyone.<\/p>\n\n And thank goodness!<\/p>\n\n To date, I’ve sold more than 800 paintings<\/strong>, and that has taught me something essential: there are people who connect deeply with my world, and others who don’t at all.<\/p>\n\n That’s normal.<\/p>\n\n You don’t need everyone who discovers your work to like it.<\/p>\n\n You need to expand your worldview, your sensibility, and your way of expressing yourself.<\/p>\n\n Little by little, some people will see themselves reflected in what you create.<\/p>\n\n The next time you find yourself looking at an abstract work of art, try something.<\/p>\n\n For a few seconds, forget about the question:<\/p>\n\n “What does that mean?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Don’t immediately look for a face, an animal, or a landscape.<\/p>\n\n Instead, pay attention to your reaction.<\/p>\n\n Where is your gaze directed?<\/p>\n\n Which color appeals to you?<\/p>\n\n Would you like to get closer?<\/p>\n\n Does the painting calm you?<\/p>\n\n Does it give you energy?<\/p>\n\n Does it leave you completely indifferent?<\/p>\n\n There is no right answer.<\/p>\n\n And most importantly, you don’t need to come up with a complicated explanation to justify how you feel.<\/p>\n\n Sometimes:<\/p>\n\n “This painting moves me, and I don’t know why.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n is probably one of the most interesting reactions one can have to an abstract work of art.<\/p>\n\n Ultimately, my view of abstract painting is quite simple.<\/p>\n\n I’m not necessarily trying to tell a specific story or to hide symbols that need to be deciphered.<\/p>\n\n I’m looking to create a visual experience.<\/p>\n\n Colors that come alive together.<\/p>\n\n From the depths.<\/p>\n\n Movements.<\/p>\n\n Contrasts.<\/p>\n\n An atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n And, with a little luck, something happens within the viewer.<\/p>\n\n A sense of well-being.<\/p>\n\n So much energy.<\/p>\n\n A memory.<\/p>\n\n A shiver.<\/p>\n\n A feeling.<\/p>\n\n That’s what I’m looking for when I paint.<\/p>\n\n So if you create abstract art yourself, don’t let people who “don’t understand” your work stop you from moving forward.<\/p>\n\n Express yourself in your own way.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Work on your technique, develop your own style, and above all, strive to create something that moves you.<\/p>\n\n Because when it comes to abstract painting, maybe there\u2019s nothing to understand after all\u2026<\/p>\n\n but so many things to experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n What about you?<\/p>\n\n When you look at an abstract painting, do you need to recognize something in it? Do you often see faces, animals, or figures in the shapes? <\/p>\n\n Or are you able to look at a work of art solely for the emotions it evokes in you?<\/p>\n\n I’d be curious to hear your thoughts in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “I don’t understand abstract art.” That’s probably one of the things I hear most often. When looking at an abstract painting, many people immediately search for something recognizable: a figure, a landscape, an animal, a familiar shape\u2026 And when nothing stands out clearly, a sense of frustration can set in. But what if the problem […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-acrylic-painting"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tPerhaps there is nothing to understand in an abstract painting<\/h2>\n\n
Feel rather than analyze<\/h2>\n\n
But abstract painting doesn’t mean “just doing whatever you want.”<\/h2>\n\n
\n
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Why do you see faces, animals, or figures in abstract paintings?<\/h2>\n\n
Should we prevent viewers from interpreting a work of art?<\/h2>\n\n
Also, be careful not to read too much into colors<\/h2>\n\n
What you see in a painting says something about you, too<\/h2>\n\n
My Introduction to Abstract Painting<\/h2>\n\n
Abstract art is not a step toward figurative art<\/h2>\n\n
“My 3-year-old can do the same thing.”<\/h2>\n\n
You don’t have to please everyone<\/h2>\n\n
So, how do you look at an abstract painting?<\/h2>\n\n
Abstract painting is, above all, an experience<\/h2>\n\n