What Makes Abstract Art Good & Is It Easy? — Abstract Art Explained (Part 4)

In this video series, we will be presenting the most extensive and comprehensive online resource on abstract art. Step by step, we will be answering the most frequently asked questions and offer a clear and concise overview of the history of abstract art. Today, we will be taking on two often problematic questions that are strongly intertwined. What makes an abstract artwork or painting good? And, is abstract art easy to produce? Well, let’s find out.

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ℹ️ About CAI:
CAI is the abbreviation of 'Contemporary Art Issue,' a hybrid platform for contemporary art including:

👨 About the host Julien Delagrange:
Julien Delagrange is an art historian, contemporary artist, and the founder and director of CAI. Delagrange studied Science of Arts at Ghent University, Belgium, and worked for the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels, the Jan Vercruysse Foundation, the Ghent University Library, and has contributed to the international contemporary art scene as an art critic, lecturer, curator, gallery director, consultant, advisor, and as an artist. As an artist, he is represented by Galerie Sabine Bayasli in Paris, France, and Gallery Space60 in Antwerp, Belgium.

🎯 The mission of the CAI YouTube channel:
→ To empower artists by providing adequate and industry-approved advice for artists for long-term success in the highest realms of the art world, sharing inside information and proven strategies based on real-life experiences in the art world.
→ To contribute to the online canonization of recent art history, having its finger at the pulse of contemporary art.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders. However, if you feel you have inadvertently been overlooked, please take up contact with Contemporary Art Issue.

Table of contents:
00:00 — 1. Introduction
00:23 — 2. Abstract art put to the test: How hard can it be?
00:47 — 3. How to value the quality of an abstract artwork?
04:36 — 4. The major challenge for abstract artists
06:33 — 5. Why abstract art can be more difficult compared to figurative art
07:09 — 6. Hobby abstract painting
07:46 — 7. Examples of good abstract art
09:34 — 8. Conclusion
10:17 — 9. Further reading
10:39 — 10. Outro

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Every effort has been made to trace copyright holder. However, if you feel you have inadvertently been overlooked, please take up contact with Contemporary Art Issue.

[karlabritfeld]

No. Abstract art is not easy. But it's so rewarding when you finish a piece and you love it.

[VisualMeditation]

I love the expressions of dog he is listening carefully 😊

[robertarisz]

I have had my trip to the museum spoiled many times by hearing someone say "I could paint that too".
I always think "but you didn't".
The difference between Pollack and some drunken guy splashing paint in his garage is huge.

[themysteriousdomainmoviepalace]

I think making abstract art is harder because you have nothing to hang on to. Your dog is a work of art.

[robertspies]

These are all good points, but the value of a painting is in how it resonates emotionally which does not seem to be addressed directly. Doing something new contributes to the emotional response to be fair.

[petemc]

Very clear analysis. Sometimes abstract work has to be seen in a gallery as it is weak in reproduction compared to figurative and surface finish is so important. I was stunned by Josef Albers' 'Homage to the Square: R-NW IV' painting in the Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art (Modern One) last summer. The colour was intense in a way I'd never imagined a painting could be.

[tendr]

I cannot draw totally realistic yet my abstract art I keep painting over eventually becomes something I love.

[jeanettekamphuisofartistic]

This was very encouraging as I have found my own style and it takes a long time to finish as it need many layers maybe, or it might need to hang on wall half finished till one sees what’s lacking. When u paint out of ur soul…. It takes time/patience

[wikidub]

Excellent video. Very well expressed. Most abstract art is formulaic and as you say "home decoration" - dull and worthy. Very few artists build up a practice of unique styles which do not ape the pioneers, or if they do pay homage at least bring it into a contemporary form. Surface, technique and media are important because they distinguish the work of an exceptional abstract painter from a hobby artist or that done by a computer programme. Reputable dealers and savvy buyers know what is true innovative abstract art and what is wall decoration for offices, care homes and living rooms.

The dog...

[deepashtray]

Marketing talent is also a major factor.

[Marceau.Verdiere.Atelier]

“Easy” is such a complicated and laden word in art…kuddos to have taken on the subject, and well done as usual. I always tackle this with my students with the works of Cy Twombly: When Cy Twombly was making his doodles and mark paintings, which by any arguable way would be “easy” to make, few people understood that Cy Twombly tried his whole life to reconnect with what it means to paint like a little child: free from all convention, pressures, doubt, and righteousness about art. He of course could never succeed, as you are inevitably polluted by adulthood. But the point was that the ultimate artistic expression was that of an unburdened mind, a little child’s mind, and his scribbles and others were aiming to find and reconnect with this elusive and ephemeral moment in life. Abstract art, when it is created to translate ideas and concepts that cannot be figurative, should hopefully not preoccupy itself with whether it is/looks easy, and one can wish that the viewer is willing to make an effort as well and engage with the ideas. The balance for us artists that are abstract and/ or conceptual is to figure out how much we have to guide and help the viewers get past their first impression. And as you so pertinently point out, a helpful and simply written artist statement goes a long way to build the right kind of bridges, and that is definitely NOT easy 😅… thanks again for a great video

[katdodd]

Perrier seemed concerned about your mental stability ... wondering who you were talking to and why they were invisible....lol. Excellent explanation of abstract art! Thank you!

[jamesg]

Well developed argument, I really appreciate the way you have approached this question. Thank you

[PoorBoyPennyShow]

IM AN ABSTRACT ARTIST AND ITS THE ADVENTURE EACH WORK TAKES ME ON, ,EASY BECAUSE I WANT IT, ,,,IVE BEEN PAINTING 40 YEARS ITS SECOND NATURE TO CREATE A PAINTING FROM NOTHING, ,NO PLANING, ,JUST MAYBE AN INSPIRED IDEA OR A FEELING I GET, ,ONCE I GET STARTED, ,THE PAINTING PAINTS ITSEF TELLING ME WHAT TO DO NEXT, , , , I LOVE IT

[cherylerome-beatty]

I love this channel! This episode really helped me to evaluate and understand abstract art as well as my own.

[internationalicon]

Art students learn to create a product mainly for the use of a rather narrow group of art collectors, who have the means and space to collect and show the artworks.  

Talk at some point about the exclusivity of art production, as opposed to consumption by, or any broader use by, the population as a whole

[scenteddiamond]

your assistant director is very professional 👍🏼

[DanielLopes-jtyl]

As always your commentary is spot on. You don’t need me telling you this but I got to. Your good dam good it helps being reminded. Again thank you!

[shahidhassanboni]

you are the best discovery i have made on youtube. Thanks for sharing such upto daite and detailed videos. . Best wishing and thanks from Pakistan.

[michaelhemmingartist]

Thank you. Very enjoyable and well summed up. Even your dog seemed to enjoy it. I expect he'll be giving abstracts a go in the next video 😂