01 What is abstract art?
Abstract art is an art that tries to give a contraction of reality or even to underline its “tearings” instead of trying to represent. Abstract art can free itself from fidelity to visual reality.
It does not represent subjects or objects from the natural world, real or imaginary, but only shapes and colours for themselves.
02 The difficulty
To appreciate this type of art you already need a certain open-mindedness. In my opinion, it is something that can develop gradually.
Then there is also a spiritual dimension to it, that will not necessarily touch everyone every time.
The great difficulty is to make something fell through a work without references and therefore to feel it myself during the creation. Not easy at all for a former soldier who loves when it's simple, clear, clean and precise. Communicating emotion is often not easy itself, in addition, it must not look like anything.
03 Step by step
The best way to decode and understand something is to try. Well, I didn't wake up one morning with the idea of taking abstract photographs. It was a challenge proposed by the local photography club. Since the subject was completely beyond me, I did search and I figure out going through it step by step was an easier way for me to assimilate everything.
01/ Semi-figurative or semi-abstract art
We are talking here about different levels of abstraction. Semi-abstract or semi-figurative art is widely used, even if the language is very close to that of the abstract, certain lines and shapes are sufficiently reminiscent of a landscape for the observer's eye to recognize it.
Some will keep a totally real composition and shapes, but will play with colours.
Still others will remain close to colours, shapes, lights, but will play on a gesture (brush stroke) or the focus.
It is a way of partially abstracting reality and freeing oneself from its codes step by step. It's easier than going straight from figurative to pure abstract.
02/ The deconstruction of reality
The cubic portraits of Pablo Picasso are a perfect example: the painter uses different views (front and profile) and represents them on the same surface, while making them more geometric than reality. We recognize all the same that it is a portrait, and we can clearly see that the reality is not very far away, but has been deconstructed.
The same idea can be applied with lyrical abstraction and landscapes.
The exercise can be pushed to different levels of abstraction and one can arrive at a level of total abstraction very quickly.
04 Conclusion
I really liked this challenge offered by the Sherbrooke photography club, it took me out of my comfort zone.
I think from now on you will find more semi-abstract and deconstructed fine art photography among my future photographs. Because even if I haven't yet managed to produce and like one of my 100% abstract photographs, I have discovered semi-abstract art and the discussions it can arouse.