By now, most of you probably know that I am not a huge fan of abstract art. When I saw the section in the book on Abstract Expressionism (pg. 84 -85) it just reminded me how weird this type of art is. It says that this art movement took inspiration on the “nonsensical performances of Dada”. Synonyms of nonsensical include absurd, stupid, and ridiculous. That is pretty much how I feel about Abstract Expressionism.
Abstract Expressionism parallels with physicists’ views of the universe – very random, vague, and disorganized. Most of these paintings are not representational. However, William Kooning’s Woman and Bicycle shows a large woman standing by what is apparently a bicycle. This painting took more than a year and a half to finish, which I thought was incredible. It would seem like in that amount of time, a good artist could create something that was actually worth looking at.
The Woman and the Bicycle
I feel like it takes very little talent to create these types of works. For example, on page 87, there is a picture of Jackson Pollock “at work”. He is shown standing on a large canvas flinging paint around like a little kid. Maybe this is harder than it looks, but I just don’t see what makes these paintings so special. Overall, I guess I don’t see the value in this art because almost anyone could do it. I would rather place value on a very realistic painting that a talented artist put lots of effort into.
What do you think?
Pollock painting
Like you, I personally do not care for abstract art. I would much rather look at a piece that showcases talent, forcing me to step back from it and say, "Wow! I could never do that."
ReplyDeleteHowever, that brings me to the one thing that I DO like about abstract art: I CAN do it! I feel like abstract art encourages the viewer to let themselves go. Paint what you feel. Let the brush take control of your hand. Create something for the sake of creating, not for the sake of portraying. I think that that is a very liberating idea. So while I agree that there are many other pieces of art out there that require a higher level of skill, I also feel that abstract art is just as important.