Art?
Abstract art brings out a lot of different emotions in its viewers. Most onlookers, upon first glance of any abstract art exhibit, exclaim their frustration or anger at the art, because they cannot decipher its meaning, which is often hidden within the layers of a painting or the curves of a sculpture. Yet, as abstract art is viewed more and more often, it is absorbed inside the mind of the art critic and offers a satisfying though elusive feeling of comprehension. In the earlier years of art, painters and sculptors looked to create the most realistic and traditional types of artistic representations. However, once the fifties and sixties came around, art was thrown into a chaotic new field now known as abstract art, abstract expressionism being a large part of this new category. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit on abstract expressionism provides a scintillating taste of abstract art, whetting the museum-goers appetite for more of art’s comprehensible beauty. The most common items in a museum are paintings. Therefore, while many abstract artists tried to change the structure of traditional painting, there were also those who expelled that art form almost entirely, opting instead for sculpture and other three dimensional representations of creativity. One of the more aesthetically pleasing forms of art is sculpture. Alexander Calder, a renowned artist known for his whimsical mobiles, is showcased in the exhibit; his piece 4 Directions, hovers over visitor’s heads as it floats effortlessly from the middle of the main exhibition room’s ceiling. This piece is both memorable and representative of the abstract era in art because of its unique interpretation of sculpture. Mobiles are generally seen as a staple in a child’s crib, but here Calder has taken this commonplace object and turned it into a contemplative piece of art. For, while the piece is labeled “4 Directions”there are really 5 directions, which adds to the mysterious nature of the piece. Another great example of abstract art would be the soft sculpture of a calendar entitled August. This piece plays with traditional meanings and structures in life. First of al, time is usually depicted as a rigid entity that cannot be tampered with (there are no do-overs in life) and also as a serious topic. However, in his sculpture Oldenburg makes time flexible, soft, and caring, as if it could be changed to suit the onlooker’s desires. Furthermore, its texture and shape, which resembles that of a large puffy couch, adds to the underlying feeling of calm, since August if considered to be a rather slow, lazy, and hot summer month. While the artists of the abstract era may have set out to shock the world and change the ideals and rules set forth by their predecessors, they have also unknowingly tampered with the way the genera public views art. Art has evolved from a slightly stuffy and aloof form of creativity to a more accessible and informal one, due to the loosening of rigidity and restrictions that had defined the traditional painting period. It is true that abstract art my be hard to comprehend at times, but it is the joy that is experienced in trying to unravel the mystery that lies within each of the pieces that resolves the place of abstract art in both history and contemporary times.