Dave R. Davison
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
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It was not that long ago that abstract art was the dominant trend in painting. Devotees of the so-called New York school taught the tenants of abstraction from positions in the art departments of the universities and a generation of painters was suckled on the milk of abstraction. The arc art of history was seen as the story of how artists came to free themselves from the tyranny of the outer subject and became liberated – able to immerse themselves in a world of pure paint. Painting was pared down to its most basic elements: color, texture, tone, line, gesture.
The history of art did not end with the abstract expressionists, however. The pendulum swung the other way, and now the majority of painters do not work in the abstract. Once opened, though, a door cannot be closed, and abstract art is now a viable avenue of pursuit for any painter that wants to go in that direction.
