Abstract art emerged from the artists’ desire to create works unrelated and unrestrained by visual references in reality. A majority of the twentieth century’s most iconic and famous abstract paintings were created by artists who sought and found new ways of producing art that will encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science, and philosophy in the West.
The name of the genre evokes the notion of being detached or abstracted from something and it was chosen to mark the desire of first abstract painters to free their works from the restrictions of reality and depict imaginary in art.
Abstract painting comes in a variety of shapes and forms and can be partly tied to existing visual references or represent a complete departure from an accurate representation of reality. This versatile art genre uses colors, shapes, forms and gestural marks to achieve a unique aesthetic and in many cases, a deep emotional response from the viewers.
In 1920 painter Wassily Kandinsky decided to free his artworks from the bondage of subject matter. Subsequently, Untitled (First Abstract Watercolor) painting was made and abstract art as a genre was born. The piece that’s considered to be the first abstract painting ever made is marked with vibrant colors and smears that span over the edges of figurative art. Colors were particularly important in Wassily Kandinsky’s paintings and he thought of them as an expression of emotion rather than tools for the faithful description of reality.