There is also an interesting shift that happens with representational vs. abstract work in terms of the space of the museum itself. In a representational piece (such as a traditional landscape) you might look at it and feel transported from the museum space into the imaginary space of the painting. But in an abstract piece you see the work as existing in the real space of the museum – the here-and-now, not the imaginary.

I think it would be fair to say that ALL paintings (and most other arts too) have elements of abstraction and elements of representation in them. Even the most ‘realistic’ painting is still brushstrokes on a canvas hanging on a wall! But some emphasize the abstract qualities more strongly than others.

After the late 1950s things started to change and the period from then til now is sometimes referred to as the Post-Modernist period but most often it is referred to as contemporary art. When someone has a good name for it, it probably means that its time has passed and so it can be named something specific. Until then ‘contemporary’ refers to whatever is happening in this moment.

The Museum of Modern Art was founded in the early 1950s specifically to present Modernist work. It has expanded its field since then to include contemporary work as well.

So, while Picasso and Van Gogh are not contemporary artists, their work is very much part of ‘Modern Art’.

Hope that helps.

Some painters are interested in representing the world (ie, figures, landscapes, still lives, etc. – recognizable shapes). Others work with abstraction (ie, they paint shapes, colors, etc. that are not supposed to be recognizable). The abstract painters are working with the idea that the painting only represents ITSELF not something beyond itself. That doesn’t mean an abstract painting doesn’t express larger ideas but it doesn’t base those ideas on a presumed connection between the painting and some other reality it represents.

You could say that the abstract painters are making paintings about painting, while the representational painters are making paintings about some other recognizable reality. This is a gross simplification but whatever.

So the all-white paintings might be the painter’s attempt to get you to look at painting (paint, canvas, brushstrokes) without the distraction of representation.

There is definitely an in-your-face quality to these paintings especially when they first started appearing in the early 20th century. But by now these are pretty common and accepted in contemporary art and art historical canons.

By the way an all-white painting might also suggest something about purity (in the West, white usually indicates purity) or death (in the East white is often associated with death). And it can make those suggestions without having to show a picture of an angel (or whatever representation of purity you prefer) or a dead body (or whatever representation of death you prefer). So you might say, “well aren’t these abstract paintings also representational – they are communicating in a symbolic language just like the traditional representational painters are” and you would be right!

Well I hope that helped.