Abstract

There are basically two ways to experience a piece of art. On the one hand, you can consider a painting, sculpture, or photograph as a direct representation of an object. On the other hand, you can consider the design of the art itself as an abstract description of something beyond the temporal. For centuries, art was dominated by either realistic or romanticist movements. It wasn't until the late 19th century and early 20th century that abstract art truly came into its own.

Abstract art offers power through simplicity. For instance, one of Picasso's most famous works depicts a woman in only three strokes. This pared down representation suggests the essence of the female form through its use of curves and space. Jackson Pollock, a pioneer of the Abstract Expressionist school (otherwise known as the New York school), employed seemingly random drips of paint to represent chaos and beauty.

Yet the abstract art movement can't be fully comprehended unless one considers the political and national dynamics that it shaped and that helped shape it. Following the horrors of World War I, many leading figures of the so-called Lost Generation abandoned the long-held premise that the collective will should trump the individual will. Artistic movements like Dadaism and the searing literary works of the Lost Generation elegantly described the disconnect of modern life in the 20th century.

During the 1930s and 1940s, when the world was traumatized by the Great Depression and World War II, art became by and large more representational again. Yet once again, when the fighting ended, artists returned to reflections on the complexities of modern life vis-à-vis abstract art. The form continues to grow to this day, influenced by irony, music, and technology.