Abstract art is described as a painting about paint itself. There is generally no meaning behind it and is just pleasant to look at. Since this is how abstract art is described, a lot of people who don’t understand art instantly come to the conclusion that abstract art is meaningless and serves no purpose. You’re wrong about abstract art, abstract art is cool.

In an article titled “Abstract Art Is Not Art and Definitely Not Abstract,” a quote from Fred Ross states “the people who are splashing paint on a canvas in pretty patterns, or brushing it on in aesthetically pleasing color combinations, are not doing anything abstract. They are merely depositing little tangible blobs of paint that do not stand in for anything at all,” which is something I disagree with. Abstract art can have meaning and stand for something, or not have meaning, depends on the artist. 

Meaning or not, a lot of abstract art looks really cool. Pablo Picasso made a ton of abstract art, and he’s one of the most important figures of the 20th century (apparently), so many people must agree. For me it’s more fun to think about the meaning behind a piece of abstract art. Why were these colors chosen or why does it have this random yellow streak? There has to be some meaning behind these decisions, and to me that makes the art really interesting.

Not only is abstract art cool, it can even be fun to make. Abstract art can be anything you want, it’s fun to open your imagination and just do whatever you want. That’s what makes it fun for other abstract artists too, being able to express yourself in a way no one else can understand. That’s what makes it interesting to me, and I think you should think about that too. Next time you see a piece of abstract art, think about why decisions were made about certain aspects of it.