Modern Abstract Paintings

 

Modern abstract paintings evolved from the Modern Art movement, which spanned from the mid-nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. The movement started the careers of artists Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, and many others. It should be noted that despite its name, modern art is not the most recent art available; contemporary art is.

 

Modern-art paintings are noted for how they depart from a literal or realistic interpretation of the real world. Such paintings attempted to convey elements such as rhythm, music, emotions, and thoughts, or targeted qualities of light or form, in creative ways.

 

Modern artwork can be categorized into different movements that all emanate from a cultural environment that was marked by experimentation and the political attitudes of the era. The names of some of these movements in the 1800’s through the 1900’s include Cubism, Expressionism, Fauvism, Surrealism, and Dadaism.

 

In terms of the features associated with modern artwork, the paintings were characterized as nonrepresentational or representational. The common theme amongst all abstract modern paintings is the prevalence of an individual belief, thought, or convention that made them develop. To provide an example of this, modern "Dada" artists rejected logic and reason. They applied this to their artwork on top of their writings, beliefs, and lives in general.

 

Another example of a modern artist who applied his belief system to works of art is Pablo Picasso. Picasso was founder of the Cubist movement, and he was one of the most significant abstract artists to go down in history. He was influenced by Cezanne and African artists. His cubist works consist of distortions and fragmented forms. His first cubist work is touted as Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and it is housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. In what is known as the synthetic phase of cubism, which took place after 1912, Picasso’s forms became bigger and more representational. This implied that bright and flat decorative patterns took the place of his earlier more severe works of art.

 

Picasso’s works of cubism showcased the idea that a painting or any work of art can exist as an object of significance beyond a representation of reality. During each period of cubism, Picasso and other artists developed a profusion of new artistic techniques including papier colle and collage. Such techniques are widely used in the classroom and beyond in contemporary society.

 

In terms of how it compared to previous periods of art, the period of Modern Art that produced abstract paintings marked a departure from earlier points in time since it essentially redefined the paintings’ conventions. Prior to the period of modern art, the vast majority of paintings adhered to the quality of being solely representational. For example, paintings would be portraits of people, landscapes, etc., or they would have a religious or allegorical theme associated with them. There was little to interpret in paintings produced prior to the Modern Art period.

 

In conclusion, modern abstract paintings come from the Modern Art period, which spanned from the mid-nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. Many famous artists and movements evolved from this movement. An overriding feature of such artwork is how it departed from a literal or realistic representation of the real world.