Abstraction As Representation
Abstraction as Representation
Paintings:
Xu Wei (1521-1593), Flowers and Plants, handscroll in ink on paper
William De Kooning(1904-1997), Lilly Pond, Oil on Canvas 1959
The shift of art culture towards abstraction is a clear change that exists cross-culturally and through different historical moments showing the move of society to reflect the artist’s skill and process. In these two landscapes, we see a move toward expression of artists instead of the illusionistic representations of the actual landscape itself. Xu Wei’s Flowers and Plants and De Kooning’s Lily Pond represent two historical moments where societies began to accept abstraction as skillful and ingenious works of art. Xu Wei’s painting represents the transition of the Chinese society to accepting this abstract painting and how they even gave their artist ingenious like qualities because of their skill. The De Kooning painting reflects a Modernist movement of art and it’s move toward abstraction even in mainstream cultures. The artists have different roles in society, but can be compared to similar movement in both cultures to the public’s acceptance of abstraction and how class structure determined how they were viewed. The artists also see their culture sociological or psychological understanding of the process and the inspiration of the paintings. In comparing these artists we can understand the art historical influence abstraction in the two societies as a means of self expression and the creations type of representation in painting.
Xu Wei’s painting is a reflection of a consistent intellectual movement of the Chinese society to give praise to abstract artists. The 16th c. painting, Flowers and Plants, shows how the scholars began to hold self expression at times even higher than those from painstakingly produced representation and that they have distinct scales of value or evaluation. Cahill suggests that this scale of value for...
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