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| Horse Gallop Devileux, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
Introduction
Abstract painting is one of the most liberating and expressive art forms of the modern and contemporary era. Unlike figurative or representational art, abstract painting does not strive to capture the external world in precise detail. Instead, it seeks to communicate emotions, experiences, and inner states of being through form, color, rhythm, and texture.
For artists, this style of painting represents not only an aesthetic choice but also a profound sense of freedom: the ease of choosing a subject is limitless, the canvas becomes a stage for emotion, and colors act as a universal language of the soul.
In this narrative, we will explore the essence of abstract painting—the ease of subject choice, the sense of freedom artists feel, the thematic currents that flow through abstraction, and the deep symbolism of color. We will also delve into five iconic abstract paintings by different masters—Kandinsky, de Kooning, Mondrian, Rothko, and Richter—each representing a unique dimension of abstraction.
The Ease of Subject Choice in Abstract Painting
In traditional painting, artists often grapple with the challenge of selecting a subject: landscapes, portraits, mythological scenes, or still lifes. In abstraction, this constraint is dissolved. The subject does not have to be external—it can be entirely internal.
Emotion as Subject: Abstract artists frequently use feelings as their starting point. A memory of joy, grief, or transcendence becomes the subject itself.
Music as Inspiration: Many abstract artists, including Wassily Kandinsky, drew inspiration from musical compositions, treating paintings as visual symphonies.
Ideas Over Objects: Concepts such as movement, chaos, harmony, or even silence can be the subject of an abstract painting.
This ease of subject choice liberates the artist from imitation. The subject is not about what is painted, but why it is painted.
The Sense of Freedom in Abstract Art
The allure of abstraction lies in the unshackled sense of freedom. Without the need to represent figures or landscapes, artists can explore new realms:
Freedom of Gesture: Jackson Pollock exemplified this in his drip paintings, where movement and rhythm became the very essence of his works.
Freedom of Form: Willem de Kooning blurred the lines between figuration and abstraction, creating works that hovered between the recognizable and the chaotic.
Freedom of Interpretation: Abstract works invite viewers to bring their own meanings, allowing for infinite interpretations.
For the artist, the act of creation becomes an act of liberation. For the viewer, the act of viewing becomes participatory, deeply personal, and never prescriptive.
Themes in Abstract Painting
While abstract painting may appear non-representational, it is still infused with thematic richness. These themes are not literal but experiential.
Spirituality and Transcendence: Kandinsky often painted works that evoked spiritual journeys and cosmic visions.
Cultural Commentary: De Kooning’s Woman series blended abstraction with commentary on gender and society.
Urban Energy: Piet Mondrian’s grids, particularly Broadway Boogie Woogie, were inspired by the rhythm of New York City.
Emotional Intensity: Rothko’s color fields offered meditative spaces for exploring human vulnerability and transcendence.
Process as Theme: Gerhard Richter emphasized the act of painting itself, making process the subject.
Thus, even in the absence of representational figures, abstract works pulse with layered meaning.
The Use of Color: A Language of Its Own
Color in abstract painting is not decoration—it is communication. Abstract painters use color to evoke sensations and emotions beyond words.
Kandinsky saw colors as sounds, with red symbolizing strength, blue evoking spirituality, and yellow radiating energy.
Rothko used vast color fields to envelop the viewer, creating environments of contemplation.
Mondrian restricted himself to primary colors, exploring balance, harmony, and universal order.
De Kooning layered vibrant impasto, creating tension and dynamism.
Richter employed color through scraping, layering, and blurring, producing complex, emotional surfaces.
In abstraction, color becomes the purest expression of the artist’s emotional state and vision.
Five Iconic Abstract Paintings and Their Significance
1. Composition VII – Wassily Kandinsky (1913)
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| Composition VII, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow Wassily Kandinsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
The painting swirls with vibrant forms and luminous colors, evoking apocalypse, resurrection, and paradise—all without literal representation.
The freedom in this work lies in its complete detachment from reality. The subject is pure spiritual energy, the theme is cosmic transformation, and the colors form a visual symphony.
2. Woman VI – Willem de Kooning (1953)
De Kooning’s Woman VI belongs to his controversial Women series, where abstraction meets figuration. Here, gestural brushwork collides with hints of female form. The painting is not about representation but about tension: between chaos and order, abstraction and figuration, creation and destruction. Its color palette—vibrant reds, yellows, and greens—further intensifies its emotional force.
3. Broadway Boogie Woogie – Piet Mondrian (1943)
Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie is a celebration of urban rhythm and musical energy. The canvas is a grid of red, yellow, blue, and white rectangles, evoking the dynamic pulse of New York City and the syncopation of jazz. While geometric and ordered, it brims with vitality, proving that even the most disciplined abstraction can feel alive and joyful.
4. No. 2, Green, Red and Blue – Mark Rothko (1953)
Rothko’s No. 2 is an exploration of human emotion through pure color. The painting consists of expansive rectangles of green, red, and blue, softly edged, floating on the canvas. Standing before it, viewers feel immersed in its emotional field, invited to meditate on sorrow, joy, or transcendence. Here, subject matter is distilled into color alone.
5. Abstrakte Bilder—Gerhard Richter (1976– )
Richter’s Abstrakte Bilder series redefines abstraction as an evolving process. Using squeegees and scrapers, he layers, erases, and re-layers paint until the surface becomes a palimpsest of color and texture. The result is complex, layered, and open-ended. In these works, freedom lies not just in subject choice but in allowing the painting to dictate its own direction.
Conclusion
Abstract painting is the art of liberation. It releases artists from the constraints of representation, granting them the freedom to let subjects emerge from emotions, rhythms, and inner visions. Themes in abstraction range from spirituality to social commentary, while color serves as the most immediate and powerful medium of expression.
Through the works of Kandinsky, de Kooning, Mondrian, Rothko, and Richter, we witness the boundless potential of abstraction. Each artist used abstraction not only to paint but also to think, feel, and communicate in ways that transcend language. For the viewer, abstract painting becomes not just an image to see, but an experience to feel.
Abstract art is not difficult—it is expansive. Its subjects are everywhere and nowhere, its freedom is infinite, and its themes are deeply human. In the language of color, form, and gesture, abstract painting continues to narrate the unspoken truths of our inner worlds.
Keywords: abstract painting, abstract art, freedom in painting, abstract themes, abstract subjects, use of colors in abstract painting, Kandinsky Composition VII, Willem de Kooning Woman VI, Piet Mondrian Broadway Boogie Woogie, Mark Rothko No. 2 Green, Red, and Blue, Gerhard Richter Abstrakte Bilder, color field painting, gestural abstraction, and geometric abstraction.
