What is abstract art ?

Abstract art is opposed to figurative art. Abstract art is not composed of any subject, character or decor. It does not show anything "directly" understandable. An abstract painting will be more intellectual where the mind and imagination take on more importance. In addition to being present in painting, abstraction is found in multiple media: sculpture, drawing, image…

Birth of abstract painting

Abstract art made its appearance at the end of the 19th century. This form of art was intended to be different, reflecting a great change in the codes of art (which consisted mainly of Fauvism, Cubism and figurative expressionism). Monet, Pissarro or Degas were also excluded from the Salon of painters because their artistic work was too close to abstract art. They did not correspond to the academic standards of their time.

But pure abstraction arrived in the 20th century with Vassily Kandinsky, who pioneered the movement, like the painters Kazimir Malevitch, Piet Mondrian and Kupka.

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