Abstract Art Explained

Table of contents

Introduction: Defining Abstract Art

This article will present you with the most extensive and comprehensive online resource on abstract art. Step by step, we will answer the most frequently asked questions and offer a clear and concise overview of the history of abstract art. But first, we must, of course, define abstract art. So, what is abstract art exactly?

Abstract art consists of all art with a non-representational visual language, often referring to painting. Abstract art does not imitate reality nor present a visual language derived from reality.

For instance, depicting an angel does not represent the actual physical world. However, it is not abstract as it is derived from reality and thus has a representational visual language representing an angel. Hence, with abstract art, from a visual perspective, the picture, image, or object represents nothing.

It is possible to abstract a representational image. For instance, with Cubism, masters such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque painted portraits, landscapes, and still lifes in a very abstract manner, distorting the subject with their cubist style. However, these artworks are not abstract, as there is still a representational element and thus no pure abstraction.

In contemporary painting, it is possible to combine figurative elements with pure abstraction in a single picture. However, generally speaking, abstract art refers exclusively to pure abstraction.

When Did Abstract Art Start?

Even though there is no general consensus regarding the starting point of abstract art in the form of an exact date or year, there is a consensus regarding the general period in which abstract art emerged and found traction in the art world.

Abstract art emerged between 1905 and 1915, with the Avant-Garde art movements of Modern Art.

At the start of the 20th century, artists were discovering new ways to represent reality in a non-naturalistic manner. This tendency would eventually result in pure abstraction. Think of Piet Mondrian, who first painted trees and continued to abstract them ending up with only horizontal and vertical lines and flat color planes. Doing so and influenced by Cubism mentioned above, Piet Mondrian founded the art movement of Neo-Plasticism, also known as De Stijl, in 1917.

Others did not arrive at abstraction by abstracting reality but were inspired by spiritual avocations resulting in non-representational art. For instance, Kazimir Malevich founded Suprematism in 1913 as he was convinced of the supremacy of pure artistic feeling, resulting in a geometric abstract visual language.

For more examples of the emergence of abstract art at the start of the twentieth century, read the answer to our question, ‘What are the Different Movements of Abstract Art?’ (cf. infra). But first, instead of answering when abstract art originated, what artists were the inventors of abstract art?

Who Invented Abstract Art? Who Was the First Abstract Artist?

Abstraction has always been around. Think of non-representational patterns on textile or decorative objects, or what about symbols and religion? So instead of inventing abstraction, who were the first artists to discover the possibilities of abstraction and implement it in art?

Generally speaking, Wassily Kandinsky was regarded as the first abstract artist in 1911. However, prior to Wassily Kandinsky, we encountered abstract works by, for instance, Hilma af Klint or even with representational artists who painted abstract pictures; think of J. M. W. Turner or Gustave Moreau.

The painting Composition V from 1911 by Wassily Kandinsky was seen as the first abstract painting for a long time. This resulted from a letter correspondence from 1935 in which the artist himself stated his work was the very first abstract picture in the world.

At the same time, artists such as Frantisek Kupka or Robert Delaunay and his Orphism produced pure abstract artworks around 1911-1912. However, five years before these very well-known names created abstract art, there was also a Swedish female artist named Hilma af Klint, painting abstract pictures inspired by the occult.

If we track back in time, Gustave Moreau was another artist who was occupied with the occult. During the second half of the 19th century, his sketches and small-scale works tended via dreams towards abstraction, with some pieces being pure expressive abstraction avant la lettre.

Or if we go back a bit further in time, we also encounter abstract pictures during the first half of the 19th century with J. M. W. Turner. Turner could depict the sky or a landscape with strong brushstrokes, tending towards abstraction during Romanticism. With some pictures, due to the absence of a clear horizon or a subject in the image, his paintings become entirely abstract.

Of course, Turner did not intend his abstract pictures in the same way as Kandinsky did, however with Moreau, the distinction in the intention starts to dissolve ever so slightly, up to Klint’s occult paintings, arriving at Kandinsky, Kupka, and Delauney, followed by an array of Avant-Garde artists with abstract art as we know it today.

What are the Different Art Movements of Abstract Art?

As we have already discussed, abstract art manifests itself throughout the 20th century up to this very day, encompassing various art movements, from avant-garde modern art movements to contemporary postmodern art movements. But to be more specific, what different art movements are there exactly with abstract art?

The movements in which abstract manifests itself are Suprematism, Constructivism, De Stijl, Abstract Expressionism, Minimal Art, Conceptual Art, Post-Painterly Abstraction, Op Art, Neo-Expressionism, and contemporary abstract painting.

Modern Art’s tendency towards abstraction would start with art movements in which non-naturalistic representation was being explored. This journey started approximately in 1860 before arriving at true abstraction in 1910/1915, encompassing Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Les Nabis, Fauvism, Futurism, and Dada.

The first art movement including pure abstract art would be the aforementioned Suprematism with Kazimir Malevich, among others, from approximately 1910/1915 up to 1925. The movement was marked by the use of geometric abstraction and the supremacy of pure ideas and forms above representational painting, or above reality.

Then there was Constructivism in Russia from approximately 1915 to 1930, with the likes of Vladimir Tatlin, Alexander Rodchenko, and El Lissitsky aiming to reflect modern industrial society using abstract and austere structures.

In the Netherlands, the aforementioned Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, and Gerrit Rietveld founded De Stijl—also known as Neoplasticism. The art movement from approximately 1915 up to 1930 was an innovative visual language marked by abstraction and universality, reducing the visual to the essential, using only vertical and horizontal lines and primary colors.

Expressionism (1910–1930) was also marked by abstraction but used a predominantly representational visual language, except for some, such as the aforementioned Wassily Kandinsky. However, from the 1940s to the 1960s, Expressionism culminated in Abstract Expressionism, with the gestural with Jackson Pollock or Franz Kline and the large fields of color with Mark Rothko or Barnett Newman.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Minimal Art emerged in the United States of America. The movement is marked by extreme abstraction, radical simplicity, and geometric shapes and would also introduce new (industrial) materials into painting. Although Minimal Art arguably focuses more on sculpture, it was strongly connected to Abstract Expressionism, but also Post-Painterly Abstraction and Op Art, think of painters such as Jo Baer, Mary Corse, Agnes Martin, or Carmen Herrera.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Conceptual Art changed the art world radically and ingeniously. With Conceptual Art, the value of the artwork shifts from the object to the immaterial concept or idea of the artwork. Even though Conceptual Art is occupied with sculpture, installation, photography, video, and performance, painting also plays a role, including conceptual abstraction. Think of the works of Daniel Buren, Sol LeWitt, or even Marcel Broodthaers.

Alongside Minimal Art and Conceptual Art, abstract painting continued to depart from Abstract Expressionism resulting in Post-Painterly-Abstraction since the second half of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. The term, courtesy of the famous art critic Clement Greenberg, was used to describe a group of painters who distanced themselves from Abstract Expressionism by the manner of Hard-Edge abstraction or by using washes of color in open compositions. Think of Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, or Kenneth Noland.

Originating in South America, Op Art would also emerge during the 1960s and 1970s, closely connected to Post-Painterly-Abstraction and Hard-Edge painting, examining the viewer’s visual perception and creating an illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface. Think of the works of Victor Vasarely, Bridget Riley, or François Morellet.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Neo-Expressionism arises. However, even though Neo-Expressionist artworks are pure abstraction, Neo-Expressionism was also connected with a revival of figuration in painting and was visually strongly connected to Willem De Kooning or the CoBrA art movement.

Ever since, one could continue to create new -isms and movements until it becomes pure idiocy. Further, many abstract painters don’t seem to fit into any of these categories or movements; think of the abstract body of works by Gerhard Richter or Julie Mehretu’s abstract pictures that often feel like cityscapes or landscape paintings. As a result, these abstract art forms, up to this day, are simply referred to as contemporary abstract painting and can vary strongly from a visual point of view.

What are the Different Types of Abstract Art?

So today, there are many different types of abstract art in contemporary painting. Of course, we have different types of abstract art depending on the medium, varying from abstract sculpture to abstract painting. However, from a visual perspective, in painting we can distinguish several different types of abstract art as archetypes of abstract painting.

The different types of abstract art are expressive abstraction, minimal abstraction, conceptual abstraction, action painting/gestural abstraction, hard edge painting, optical abstraction, geometric abstraction, and color field painting.

With expressive abstraction, the painting results from expressive brushstrokes and intuitive decisions and actions by the artist in question. Think of the works of Willem De Kooning or, arguably, Richter’s abstract paintings.

With minimal abstraction, the artist creates works marked by pure abstraction and radical simplicity, influenced by Minimal Art, Abstract Expressionism, Colour Field Painting, and Hard Edge painting. Discover the most important minimal painters, such as Agnes Martin or Kenneth Noland, by reading our extensive article on minimalist painting here.

Conceptual abstraction consists of abstract paintings as a direct result of a conceptual artistic practice; think of the 8.7 wide vertical stripe paintings by Daniel Buren or the color gradients by Pieter Vermeersch today.

A sub-category of the aforementioned expressive abstraction is action painting or gestural abstraction. In the tradition of Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, the abstract picture is the result of transferring gestures or actions by the artist onto the canvas.

Another type of abstract painting we have mentioned many times throughout this article is hard-edge painting. With hard edge painting, the adjacent colors are separated with most often straight, but above all, clean edges.

We have several subcategories within hard-edge painting, for instance, optical abstraction. Here, in the tradition of Op Art of Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely, the artist creates optical illusions of depth by creating hard-edge painted structures on a two-dimensional surface.

Another subcategory of hard-edge painting is geometric abstraction. Here, in the tradition of Suprematism, Constructivism, De Stijl, Post-Painterly Abstraction, and Op Art, the picture is the result of a composition of one or more geometric figures; think of Josef Albers’ squares or Winfred Gaul’s irregular geometric canvases.

We conclude with color field painting, which can find its origin in expressive abstraction in the tradition of Mark Rothko, using trembling brushstrokes to create vibrating planes of color full of depth, or with minimal painting in the tradition of Barnet Newman or Ellsworth Kelly using large and flat planes of color.

What are the Characteristics of Abstract Art?

The characteristics of abstract art vary enormously depending upon the art movement (cf. supra; What are the Different Art Movements of Abstract Art) or the type of abstract art (cf. supra; What are the Different Types of Abstract Art?). However, we can distinguish a series of characteristics across all types and movements typical for abstract art.

Abstract art is marked by;

• a non-representational figurative language;
• a visual exploration of the formal aspects of painting, encompassing color, composition, and the use of various materials;
• a conceptual, stylistic, technical, spiritual, or intuitive foundation;
• a result of expressive brushstrokes or a radical simplicity;
• and the implementation of the gestural or by mechanical flat planes of colour;
• or a combination of everything above.

What Makes Abstract Art or Abstract Painting Good?

Arguably, anyone can buy a canvas and paint from the art supply store and create an abstract painting that could be fine as home decoration. However, distinguishing yourself with your abstract paintings and making a name for yourself in the art world by producing unique, relevant, recognizable contemporary artworks is an entirely different challenge.

Anyone can do the first, but only a fraction will achieve doing the latter. Here lies the distinction between good and true abstract art versus an abstract piece that is only decoration. In doing so, there are a few indicators to distinguish the good from the bad, the child scratches from the Cy Twombly masterpiece or the Ikea wall print from the promising emerging artist.

Good abstract art distinguishes itself from the masses by creating high-quality art relevant to its era. Good abstract art is recognizable due to a unique and personal technique or visual language. Or art that distinguishes itself by the manner of its subject matter or conceptual foundation.

The first part of our answer target refers to producing high-quality artwork as objects, using decent canvases, strong stretchers, and high-quality paint, and presenting an overall feeling of high-end art. The next aspect is the relevance of the artwork, which is arguably the most critical aspect for abstract art to be considered good.

For instance, if you create art reminiscent of modern artists doing the same thing they did 50 years ago, your relevance will likely be very low. You can refer to a particular era or artist, be inspired by them, or engage in an artistic dialogue with art history. Still, you must add value and relevance to consider your work ‘good art’.

Or, if you would imitate a contemporary artist making relevant and original art, your art will be destined to fail in the long term. Maybe you could make a few sales, selling your art as decoration to people who like the visual look of the artwork. However, in the long run, you will not make it into the art world because you will fall through the basket quickly, and you could even get into trouble if the imitation is too apparent.

Then there are also abstract art techniques that are very popular with hobby painters but never succeed in the art world, partly because so many people are doing it — because anyone can do it — and because there is no further substance to those artworks besides their decorative character. Think of mixed media techniques using relief gel or abstract pour painting. Two types of art many hobbyists are occupied with. However, they are not original at all. Thousands of people make these types of abstract paintings, and an art connoisseur will smell the lack of quality, originality, and substance at first glance.

On the other hand, if you succeed in creating a unique and innovative technique, resulting in a personal and recognizable style, you will gather the interest of the art connoisseur at first glance because it is, in fact, very rare and much harder than it sounds. For instance, with our list of the most exciting emerging abstract painters today, all eight have a strongly recognizable visual language and unique, personal technique.

Another possibility is to distinguish yourself with your artist statement by the manner of a relevant and unique conceptual foundation for abstract painting. This vision will often translate itself into a personal visual language. This might sound obvious, but in truth, it is not. Too many artist statements of abstract painters are filled with clichés or ideas from other abstract masters. In the long term, these recycled visions will not last.

Is Abstract Art Easy To Produce?

We often hear statements claiming abstract artists are ‘lazy,’ not skilled, or even frauds. However, making it in the art world by producing good, personal, unique, and relevant abstract art is one of the hardest things to do, especially in an oversaturated art world. So the answer should be twofold.

Anyone can fill a canvas with paint, so in a way creating abstract artwork is easy. However, distinguishing yourself in the art world by producing high-quality, ‘good,’ and unique abstract artworks is very hard.

The technique of abstract art can vary from very simple to extremely hard. In other words, the difficulty level entirely depends upon the artist’s intention. For instance, action painting in the tradition of Jackson Pollock is arguably easy. Anyone can splash paint on a canvas lying on the floor. But Pollock did not become world-famous for making ‘easy’ paintings; he became famous for his audacity. The ‘difficult’ thing for Pollock was to invent action painting, perfect it, and show it to the world.

Is ‘new’ abstract art easy to produce? No. Is ‘good’ art easy to produce (cf. supra; What Makes Abstract Art or Abstract Painting Good?)? No. Is contemporary, relevant abstract art easy to produce? No. Is distinguishing yourself with abstract art from other abstract artists easy? No. Is it easy to develop a personal and recognizable style and technique in abstract art? No.

So maybe a five-year-old could paint something similar to a Jackson Pollock, letting splash and drip some paint on a canvas lying on the floor—and most likely across the entire room and on themselves—but producing new, ‘good,’ recognizable, or sophisticated (in technique or concept) abstract art is a lot harder, especially for a five-year-old.

Furthermore, the lack of standards or references makes abstract art harder, not easier. For instance, if you aim to paint figuratively, it is much easier for the artist to reflect upon their work. Is it well-painted? Is it a compelling image? With abstract art, these questions are much harder to answer, with the answers being more nuanced or demanding a more experienced eye, mind, and frame of reference.

For further reading, we strongly recommend the publication Why Your Five-Year-Old Could Not Have Done That: From Slashed Canvas to Unmade Bed, Modern Art Explained. Find the current price of the book on Amazon here.

What are the Most Expensive Abstract Artworks?

The art market, especially at auction, often shocks the world with record-breaking sales, achieving eight or even nine figures. These extraordinary realized prices usually result in public outrage, especially when the artwork is abstract. So before we answer why abstract art can be so expensive (cf. infra), let’s have a look at the most expensive abstract artworks in the world:

1. $300 million USD: Interchange (1955) by Willem de Kooning
2. $200 million USD: Number 17A (1948) by Jackson Pollock
3. $186 million USD: No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) (1951) by Mark Rothko
4. $140 million USD: No. 5 (1948) by Jackson Pollock
5. $105.7 million USD: Anna’s Light (1968) by Barnett Newman
6. $86.9 million USD: Orange, Red, Yellow (1961) by Mark Rothko
7. $85.8 million USD: Suprematist Composition (1916) by Kazimir Malevich
8. $84.2 million USD: Black Fire I (1961) by Barnett Newmann
9. $82.5 million USD: No. 7 (1951) by Mark Rothko
10. $81.9 million USD: No. 10 (1958) by Mark Rothko

If you are interested in the most expensive contemporary art in general, feel free to read our article Top 10 Most Expensive Contemporary Art in the World next.

Why Is Abstract Art So Expensive?

In general, people have more trouble valuing an abstract artwork in comparison to any other artwork. However, the same metrics apply to an abstract painting as with a figurative painting, as we have discussed extensively in our article Why Is Modern & Contemporary Art So Expensive (we highly recommend you to read this article if you are interested in the value of art, you can find the article here).

The economic value of an abstract artwork is determined by the art-historical importance of the artwork in question, followed by the law of supply and demand and its potential return on investment.

So, the answer to why abstract art can be so expensive is threefold. The first is the art-historical value of the artwork. Art starts where decoration is transcended. An abstract painting with no art-historical value is rather decoration than art. As a result, the economic value of the artwork would be meager.

However, if the artwork in question was groundbreaking at the time it was made, paving the way for the artists who followed, the artwork would be much more expensive. That is why Jackson Pollock’s paintings sell for millions; a five-year-old’s drip painting is not.

Then there is the law of supply and demand, as with all economic values. If the artist successfully creates compelling abstract artworks, a natural effect would be a higher demand for those artworks. As a result, prices will rise, resulting in a higher asking price.

A third element is a potential return on investment when acquiring an abstract artwork. If you buy a painting from an artist who is very well known, has a steady selling history, and is continuing to rise in the art world, chances are you could sell this painting in a few years, making a profit. As a result, the market value of art is boosted once more, creating an abstract artwork by the right artist an exciting asset for an investor.

For a more extensive take on why art can be expensive—including examples, price ranges, market differences, etc.—feel free to read our article Why Is Modern & Contemporary Art So Expensive next.

Who Are The Most Famous Abstract Artists? — Examples of Abstract Art

When it comes to the most famous abstract artists in the world, there are numerous illustrious names we have to mention. But in general, public opinion would agree that the following artists are the most famous worldwide.

The most famous abstract artists are Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Piet Mondriaan, Joan Miro, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Willem de Kooning, Josef Albers, Cy Twombly, and Gerhard Richter.

Most of these artists played an essential role in the development of abstract art, resulting in being canonized in every abstract art overview. But there are, of course, dozens of other illustrious artists we could and maybe should mention.

Think of Yayoi Kusama, Arnulf Rainer, Imi Knoebel, Heimo Zobernig, François Morellet, Kenneth Noland, Helen Frankenthaler, Ellsworth Kelly, Bridget Riley, Agnes Martin, Frank Stella, Sean Scully, Lucio Fontana, and more.

If you are interested in discovering exciting emerging abstract artists, read our article 8 Emerging Abstract Artists To Collect Now here. We conclude with a visual anthology, reciting the most famous abstract artworks by the most popular artists. Enjoy!

Last Updated on August 1, 2023