{"id":9674,"date":"2024-07-31T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/?p=9674"},"modified":"2025-07-29T12:44:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T17:44:12","slug":"art-style-education-abstract-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/art-style-education-abstract-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Art Style Education: Abstract 101 | iCanvas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At iCanvas, we want to make appreciating art easy and fun for everyone. This blog series is designed for art lovers of all backgrounds to shed any fear, get equipped with the basics, and feel empowered to appreciate various art styles and movements. <\/p>\n\n\n

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“Abstract Art”<\/a> by JJ Brando<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

All that being said, hey \u2014 we get it. When it comes to abstract art, sometimes, it\u2019s just hard to understand<\/a>! If you find yourself perplexed when viewing art seemingly comprised of formless paint splatters, rest assured you\u2019re not alone. Here\u2019s a breakdown of abstract art basics, along with various subsets that might speak to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Abstract Art?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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“Composition VII”<\/a> by Wassily Kandinsky<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Abstract art<\/a> conveys concepts you won\u2019t find in physical or visual reality. Abstract artists freely use color, shape, and form to communicate intents that are left to the viewer\u2019s interpretation. If the name \u201cKandinsky\u201d comes to mind when you think \u201cabstract,\u201d it\u2019s for a reason! While humans have probably created abstractions for ages, experts often credit Wassily Kandinsky as one of the movement\u2019s token artists. His \u201clyrical<\/a>\u201d approach to color and shape, seen in the image above, carries the hallmark traits of the abstract art we envision in our minds. The prints below by some of his contemporaries can also be considered classic abstracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Song” by Alexej von Jawlensky<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Primary Route and Bypasses” by Paul Klee<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Painterly Architectonics” by Lyubov Popova<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Abstract Expressionism<\/h2>\n\n\n
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“Silent Night” by Odilia Fu<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Today, abstract art is an umbrella covering a vast range of subcategories. One subset directly influenced by artists like Kandinsky is abstract expressionism, which prioritizes the artist\u2019s authentic approach to creation, and is visually characterized by a spontaneous and liberal application of materials. Classified in some circles as \u201caction painting,\u201d this style is all about the process, allowing the brush to be the conduit between the artist\u2019s intuition and the canvas. Below are a few examples of abstract expressionism<\/a> by contemporary artists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Voyage” by The Usual Designers<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Euphoria” by Vinn Wong<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Cataplexy of Awakening” by Shawn Jacobs<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Minimalist Abstract<\/h2>\n\n\n
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“Gray Series I”<\/a> by Kent Youngstrom<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With every action comes a reaction. In direct response to abstract expressionism comes minimalist abstract, which embraces the purity and simplicity of shape, form, and color. While still a form of artistic expression, the visual representation is less a cathartic overflow of emotion, and a bit more stripped-down, allowing distinctive colors and forms to speak for themselves. Below are a few examples of minimalist abstract<\/a> by contemporary artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Effigy” by Tracie Andrews<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Clouds” by Lesia Binkin<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Connection” by LEEMO<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Abstract Photography<\/h2>\n\n\n
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“Heavy Aquaviva”<\/a> by Frank Banda<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Since the 19th century, the development of the camera has opened the door to a whole new world of art. Yes, abstract even spans to photography, which uses the medium to intentionally warp perceptions of common subject matter, rendering it unidentifiable to the viewer. For a device that was designed to capture real<\/em> life, the fact that artists use it to depict the exact opposite is pretty creative. Below are a few examples of abstract photography<\/a> by contemporary photographers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Earth’s Imagination” by Elena Kulikova<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Time For Light” by Paulo Abrantes<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Maine Sunset IV” by Susan Vizvary<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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iCanvas has a huge variety of abstract art, making it easy to find one that fits your personality. Browse prints from one of the categories above, or discover others available in iCanvas\u2019 complete collection of more than 26,000 abstract prints<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources: Tate Modern<\/a>; The Art Story<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perplexed by paint splatters? You\u2019re not alone. Get to know the basics behind this often intimidating style.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":38348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1463],"tags":[2024,2664,2665,3252,3327,3940,3941,3942,3943,3944,3945,3946,3947,3950],"class_list":["post-9674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-101","tag-susan-vizvary","tag-shawn-jacobs","tag-leemo","tag-abstract-art","tag-the-usual-designers","tag-vinn-wong","tag-elena-kulikova","tag-paulo-abrantes","tag-alexej-von-jawlensky","tag-lyubov-popova","tag-paul-klee","tag-lesia-binkin","tag-tracie-andrews","tag-art-style-education"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9674"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47098,"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9674\/revisions\/47098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icanvas.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}