The difference between abstraction and representation in paintings
Abstraction: portraying ideas as subjects
Representation: portraying objects as subjects
Studying from life, especially the landscape, it becomes quite apparent early on how much of what we are looking at is the amalgamation of abstract shapes
In fact the great magic of humanity is to take the infinite amount of abstract visual information in the world at large and to change it into an ordered and recognizable world
As painters we must search the planes of abstract plane of visual information
How does what you see in your mind differ from what is found in the world?
Now these may or may not be the same thing.
It is for each person to decide and if you wanna get deeper you may or may not have to take me out for a coffee 😁
When we look out into the world we must understand that it is entirely our control whether or not we recognize objects
Think about walking down a lonely wooded trail under a full moon. Every tree stump or shadow becomes an animal, villain, or monster
The abstraction of the forest at night becomes a representation of our FEAR WHETHER it is actually real or not
This is the secret to evocative painting that ignites emotional response in the viewer
Studying painting from life we must let go of objects and subjects and see the world as it is…
Abstract, chaotic, uncontainable
In this way we can evoke in the viewer what it is we have evoked in us while painting
Everything else is symbol construction
Learning to paint representationally is more about learning how to trigger symbol construction through the abstract use of shape, value, hue, saturation, and edge
Representational skill is equated to the believability of an image within the viewer
Now take note: