Is abstract art, really art?

The short answer is absolutely!  The parameters on artistic style started loosening up around mid 19th century and by the end of the 19th century, artists were feeling a need to create a new kind of art that would express the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy.  The advent of the camera also played a roll in the transition of art.  By having a device that accurately recorded the world as we know it, artists were allowed to loosen the constraints on their personal expression. 

     
 
One of the things that particularly appeals to me in using a camera is the irony of using a device designed for realism to depict the abstract.  My abstract art starts with reality, an old or antique item, and with a macro lens and digital technology it can clearly represent a portion of the item in a spectrum of color and texture that beckons the abstract. 

     
 
In Eric Kandel’s book, The Age of Insight, he says that art enriches our lives by exposing us to ideas, feelings, and situations we might never experience otherwise.  It gives us a chance to explore and try out in our imagination a variety of experiences and emotions.  That’s what makes abstract photography exciting to me.  It pushes the limits of what we see and even what we know.  To me art, particularly abstract art, expands the mind and opens doors for possibilities.  Is abstract art really art to you?  

     

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