La abstract painting Abstract painting has been one of the most influential movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. This style is characterized by not faithfully representing reality or figurative elements. Instead, it focuses on transmitting emotions and concepts through colors, shapes and lines. Within abstract painting, various techniques are included, such as abstract cubism, orphism, rayonism, concretism, among many others. Each of these approaches has contributed something unique to this fascinating artistic style.
The main currents and techniques of abstract painting
The world of abstract art is immensely diverse, and within it a number of currents have emerged that have defined the evolution of modern art. Below, we explore the most relevant ones:
- Abstract Cubism: Through artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Cubism breaks down natural forms into geometric volumes. In its most abstract form, it abandons reference to reality, focusing its compositions on geometric patterns independent of traditional visual logic.
- Rayonism: Founded by Mikhail Larionov and Natalia Goncharova, this movement focuses on the representation of light rays passing through objects, creating intense abstract effects.
- Concretism: Emerging in Brazil in the mid-20th century, this trend is characterized by a search for pure geometric abstraction, where there are no figurative references and art is created as an object in itself.
- Lyrical abstraction: This style represents a more emotive and less formalistic form of abstraction. Artists such as Kandinsky used it to express their inner emotions through colour and fluid forms.
- Minimalism: This movement emerged as a reaction against abstract expressionism and seeks to reduce the work of art to its most essential elements.
- Abstract surrealism: Artists such as Joan Miró used this approach to explore the subconscious through abstract forms combined with surrealist elements.
Most prominent representatives of abstract painting
Joan Miró is among the most prominent names in abstract art. Born in Barcelona in 1893, he is recognized for breaking with the paradigms of classical art and presenting dreamlike visions through abstract surrealism. Among his most remembered works are the ceramic mural at the Wilhelm Hack Museum in Germany, the mural at the Palacio de Congresos in Madrid and several of his sculptures located in Barcelona. Paintings such as Masia They are also part of his legacy and continue to be analyzed by critics and art lovers.
Another fundamental artist of abstract expressionism is Jackson Pollock, who revolutionized the art world with his technique of dripping, which consists of randomly dropping paint onto the canvas, creating unique compositions completely removed from figurative art. Pollock, originally from the United States, created works that convey a representation of the human subconscious.
Other influential exponents of abstract art
The range of artists who have contributed to the development of abstract art is wide. Among them are:
- Wassily Kandinsky: Considered one of the precursors of abstract art, Kandinsky created works in which colors, lines and shapes cease to represent tangible objects to become independent elements of expression.
- Mark Rothko: Famous for his large paintings in which he uses flat colors, creating areas of calm and, at the same time, a great emotional charge.
- Piet Mondrian: With his series of straight lines and use of primary colors, Mondrian laid the foundations for Neoplasticism and created one of the most iconic aesthetics of abstract art.
- Hilma of Klint: This Swedish artist is considered by many to be the true pioneer of abstract art. Although much of her work was discovered years after her death, her paintings of geometric and esoteric forms influenced later generations.
Abstract art has been fundamental in marking a before and after in the history of art, proposing new ways of understanding the world and our emotions. Despite its apparent simplicity, behind each work of abstract art there is a deep investigation and experimentation with the possibilities offered by colors, shapes and materials.
Today, works by artists such as Joan Miró, Kandinsky and Jackson Pollock are exhibited in the most important museums in the world, providing living testimony to the revolution that abstract art represented in the 20th century and its influence on contemporary art.