Human beings have their sensitive side. Even the person who appears to be hard and without feelings, has inside a heart that pumps blood to the organism and that experiences emotions when given the correct stimulus.
For example, some people are unable to cry when watching a sad movie. In his mind that is pure fiction, so it is impossible for any tears to flow from his eyes. But, when they are in a real and vivid situation, such as the death of a loved one, they cannot help but give in to tears.
Others believe that they will never fall in love. But they say that until the right person comes along and then breaks all the paradigms that had been established and seemed to be solid as rock.
On the other hand, in the world of fine arts, there are also those who have certain criteria. Some enjoy the theater more, since they find it much more dynamic and even interactive. Other people value music and can spend hours entranced by each tune. In fact, they are able to disconnect from the world and live in a completely parallel world.
But there is another group of people who love painting. In fact, they are great critics. They may not have much technical knowledge. But they are very objective when they say that something is good and when it is not.
In the area of painting we find different terms. Sometimes we may not know what they are about or have a slight idea of what it is. One of them is Abstract.
You may have heard it many times, but perhaps until now you had not asked yourself what it specifically refers to. In this article, a complete definition of what is abstract will be given. Let’s see.
Instructions
Defining the word abstract is not an easy task to carry out. The reason is that it is not about something concrete, it does not represent its own realities. It is not something we can take and place in a mold.
Etymologically it comes from a Latin word made up of a prefix and a verb participle. Translated it would mean “without stretch”. This word refers to qualities that are not specific. Like, for example, love, beauty, freedom, etc.
These ideas cannot be observed anywhere. But what is fascinating about the case is that human beings have the ability to represent it through the process of abstraction.
The word abstract has been used in different disciplines and fields in order to define objects or situations.
As for art, the word abstract has had a special role, since when talking about abstract art, reference is made to an artistic style whose purpose is to distinguish aspects such as color, texture, shape and structure.
Those who support the abstract style do not seek to symbolize through painting what the eyes perceive as a reality, such as nature, for example. Rather, what they seek is to create an independent visual language, which must be full of its own meanings. It is not something that can be achieved just by seeing or touching.
This type of art was born as a rejection of realism. It began in 1910 but was strengthened in 1950 as an objective artistic expression, which seeks to represent free forms.
By the 80s, new forms of abstraction began to emerge and spread towards new horizons such as music and sculpture, which is mainly based on the search for three-dimensionality.
The new realities that he proposes to the abstract world of art can come to coexist with general reality. However, it will never depend on her. In a few words and to understand it better, abstract art is what the author wants to say or express about how he sees the world.
However, some people might mistakenly think that abstraction can only be found in art. But the reality is that it is found in different fields of life. In fact, that will be discussed in the next subtitle. Therefore, do not stop reading it to be well informed.
What do you need?
In the field of philosophy, the word abstract has to do with what a certain object means. That is, with its concept. For example, a vehicle is not a vehicle because of its make, color, size, year, or shape. A vehicle is simply a means of transportation.
In philosophy we find the concept of abstract thought, which refers to the inner world that each person builds for himself.
Regarding grammar, we have a fundamental element such as the noun. This does not need the accompaniment of another word to be able to make sense and coherence. It is very different from the adjective, since this is always attached to a noun, which is modified in one way or another.
Some nouns can be opposite each other, and this is the case with concrete and abstract nouns.
In this case, the abstract is used to be able to differentiate certain nouns, such as love, beauty, suffering, power, freedom. That could not be perceived by the senses.
Regarding verbs, this would have to do with those that do not have a specific meaning such as love, forget, think, believe, hate. Unlike other more concrete verbs such as eat, cut, break, etc.
Thanks to abstract nouns we can mention or represent an object that we could only appreciate through intelligence.
Abstraction is also present in the area of mathematics. You have probably heard the term abstract algebra. This refers to operations that deserve an interpretation away from numbers. It supposes being able to see the intrinsic of mathematical logic.
This concept arose in view of the need to be able to have greater accuracy in the definitions that are frequently used in mathematics.
Bearing these concepts in mind, now we can use the abstract word in our daily vocabulary, with full confidence that we are using it correctly.
For example, when someone says: “Art is very abstract”, “This topic requires many hours of study due to its abstraction” or “This concept is abstract”, we will already know what they mean and we will not have to run out looking for its meaning in a dictionary.
Now we are not only more educated, but we have a better understanding of how other people see the world.
Tips
As a review, we can say that the word abstract refers to qualities rather than the subject itself. The intention is to represent realities from the genuine perspective of each person.
So it is not wrong to say that each individual has an abstract way of seeing the world around him and what makes it up.
But we cannot limit this concept. Actually, it covers different walks of life. Among them, the best known has to do with art. In this field, it is used to describe the desire not to want to represent real or concrete people or objects. On the contrary, these elements can only be contemplated according to their shape, color, proportion or structure.
On the other hand, it is also possible to find this concept in more complex areas such as philosophy, mathematics and even grammar.
In a few words, we can conclude that the abstract is present in every part of our life, especially in our thinking. Thanks to this word we can be the architects of our world.
Knowing the meaning of this word gives simplicity and meaning to what seemed complex before.