An artist does not recreate their subject, but finds a way to represent it. The representation may be realistic, abstract, or somewhere in between. Realistic art focuses the viewer’s attention on the subject matter. Formal elements (line, shape, form, colour, composition, technique, etc.) are there, but are used in a way that allows them to recede into the background while the viewer thinks about the content. Abstract art turns this around. It focuses the viewer’s thoughts on the formal elements, and de-emphasizes the subject. In its purest forms, such as abstract expressionism, the formal elements become the content.
© Ronald A Ross
