A History of Abstract Art

The evolution of Art forms and human cultural history go hand in hand. If we study the history of art we can see that there has always been a dominant 'school' of art - in one form or another - that defines the prevailing artistic culture. While most of the artists of the time prefer to work within the norms of that culture, a few artists strive to break new ground and attempt to create something new and original.

Abstract art, synonymously called non-figurative art does not depict natural objects literally but can be said to be the expression of one's feeling of the original natural subject - weather tangible or intangible - in various forms, shapes and colours. With abstract art, artists have a powerful tool which allows them to bypass literal perception and connect with the unconscious emotion of the viewer.

Some of the earliest forms of abstract art can be traced back to early historic periods when the depiction of human beings was forbidden in the Jewish and Islamic religions. As a result, in many of these cultures a high standard of decorative arts developed.

The Impressionism Movement arose in France in 1870's which produced - for the first time in western culture - works of art that did not consist completely of realistic images. The impressionists worked to capture the ever changing effects of daylight which changed throughout the day and from season to season. It is often accepted that modern abstract art forms are a byproduct of this movement.

Wassily Kandinsky, who is considered to be the pioneer of western abstract art created his first completely nonrepresentational work of art, an untitled watercolour, in 1910. Throughout the following decade, the abstract impressionism movement evolved, taking hold in both in Europe and North America.

The move towards abstract art generated enormous possibilities by the beginning of the 20th century. While earlier painters were restricted by the prevalent art forms and had to restrict themselves to either imitating nature or telling stories, now with this new genre artists were able to enter an area in which limitless imagination was possible.