Style & movement
Abstract art
Art that does not aim to depict visible reality directly, instead treating form, colour, line and rhythm as independent elements.
- Category
- Style & movement
- Index letter
- A
Understanding the term
Abstraction exists in many degrees. A work may begin with a visible subject and simplify it heavily, while non-objective art abandons recognisable subjects altogether. What matters is that the image's internal relationships carry its meaning.
When Abstract art is used as a style label, it points to a family of formal qualities and ideas rather than a fixed recipe. Periods and movements overlap, and a single work may draw on several styles.
The label becomes more precise when considered alongside date, composition, colour, materials and historical context. A style can inspire work long after its original period, so appearance alone does not date an object.
Related entries
Continue through the glossary with terms from the same field.