Who Is Behind Your Abstract Art Paintings?

Abstract Art. A lot of us love to pick out this type of art that appeals to us and hang it in our home. But, do you ever think about the people that make this art? Where they come from, how they came about creating their pieces, or just their background? Here are only a few of many artists that love creating abstract pieces of art that you can find today.

Simon Addyman is a well known abstract artist. He was born in Colchester England in 1957. He attended The Colchester School of Art and the City & Guilds of London Art School.Simon's method of direct observation painting leads him to discover new color relationships. He uses gestural brushstrokes and is known for his intense elements that he brings into his paintings. He allows himself to be versatile while painting his emotions. He currently lives in Auburn California, which is where he works as an artist. In his portfolio he currently has three different categories:
Studio works: This includes the larger works that were painted in his studio from outside observations.

Plein Air: This includes a collection of paintings that were painted on location.
Still Life: These are both painted in the studio as well as outdoors.

David Belovas natural artistic ability was displayed at a very young age.. He was born in Tbilisi, and even graduated from, Tbilisi Academy of Art in 1979. After this be became more experimental in his art. His talent was even recognized by the U.S.S.R. Union of Artists, which was under strict censorial control by the Communist regime at the time. Many artists took their chances to be able to exhibit their work in Western Europe. And as David took this chance with his work, it was able to cross national boundaries, and was very easily recognized. David eventually immigrated to the United States to New York and then ended up in Atlanta, Georgia, where he still continues to create the abstract art that he is known for.

Another artist, Sebastian Alterera was born in New York City in 1964. He grew up watching his own mother sculpt art and try to sell it for a living. Sebastian was always very intrigued by his mother's dedication and creative work. He would attend art selling's at galleries and sidewalks. He began creating his own art shortly after this. At the age of 15, Alterea unexpectedly lost his father. Shortly after this, his mother moved their family to San Francisco. Although this unfortunate event happened, he looked to art to ease his painful loss. The architecture, ocean and mountains are where he found a significant amount of inspiration. He ended up attending Ringing School of art in Sarasota Florida and after graduation went on to a program at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Upon completing that program he traveled to Naples, Italy. After spending several years there, he came back to the US and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. His art now reflects figurative abstracts that contain natural colors and lines, along with earthy tones and deep textures.

It's nice to look into some artists backgrounds to really understand where their inspirations come from. So, when you are looking at abstract pieces, you may be curious to know where that particular piece came from, and who the creative abstract artist behind it is.

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Indian Art Painting - During Mughals Period

Indian painting is one of the forms of Indian art. In the pre historic times the rock paintings were made. Around the 7th century the carved pillars of Ellora and Maharashtra state are fine example of Indian paintings. The paintings of India provide artistic range that extends from the early civilization till today. Paintings in India have evolved over the years and it is fusion of various traditions and cultures. These paintings have been exposed to Iranian, Greco Roman, as well as Chinese influences.

Indian Paintings during Mughal Period
Mughal paintings is majorly limited to illustrations on the book as well as done in miniatures. This emerged, developed, and took shape during the period of the Mughal Empire. Paintings at time of Mughals were a blend of Persian, Islamic, and Indian styles.

Paintings during this time can be largely classified as the miniatures and murals. Miniatures are paintings created on small scale that too on perishable material such as cloth and paper. This type of paintings can be seen at Palas of Bengal. Murals are big work that is executed on the walls of the solid structures. This type of painting can be seen in Kailashnath temple and Ajanta Caves. During the Mughal period the miniature Indian art paintings reached the glory. This tradition was carried forward by the painters of various Rajasthani schools of paintings such as Kishangarh, Bundi, Jaipur, Mewar, and Marwar.

The modern Indian art saw the rise of the Bengal school of art in 1930's. This was followed by various experimentations in Indian styles and European. After independence many new types of art was developed by various artists. Various Indian paintings have been created by artists like MF Hussain, Gaitonde, FN Souza, and Jamini. The forms and styles of the paintings underwent various changes as the economy of the country progressed. The free flow of the cultural information could be seen in 1990s, when Indian economy was integrated and liberalized. Around this period Pseudorealism emerged as a new type in contemporary Indian art. Along with this there was rise in mahny young Trunks in the field of art like Atul Dodiya, Subhodh Gupta, Devajyoti Ray, Jitish Kahkkat, and Bose Krishnamachari. The work of all these also went for auction in the international markets.

Akbhar's reign introduced a new era in Indian miniature painting. He established an atelier under the supervision of two Persian artists Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyed Ali. Along with nearly hundred painters most of whom were Hindus from Gujarat, Kashmir, and Gwalior a new school of paintings known as the Mughal School of miniature Paintings was developed.
During Shah Jahan's reign famous artists were Mir Hashim, Mohammad Faqirullah Khan, Muhammad Nadir, Anupchhatar, Honhar, Chitarman, and Bichitr. Aurangzeb on the other hand did not have any taste of fine arts. Due to which artists migrated to Hyderabad and states of Rajasthan in search of new patrons.

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Abstract Art Paintings

In general terms, abstract art paintings break the monotony of realism and reject the fact that paintings should depict pragmatism. In the pre-World War II era, abstract art painters mostly depicted spiritualism or intellectualism, rejecting the 20th century motto of "art for art's sake" and replacing realism with spirituality and rationality. Furthermore, with the advent of the technology age, abstract art has gained greater significance.

Painting as an art form has undergone several changes, especially during the 20th century, wherein a transition from figurative painting to abstract painting was the chief feature of the era. Renowned painter Pablo Picasso is generally believed to have ushered the shift from figurative to abstract painting. Picasso, along with George Braque, formulated a new pictorial representation known as cubism, wherein the artists depicted an object as seen from a different viewpoint.

Abstract art painting took a further leap in 1911 with the creation of synthetic cubism and analytical cubism. These forms of cubism fragmented the subject in the painting, for example, in analytical cubism, painters used crystalline geometry, while in synthetic cubism the subjects were reduced in size. Artists like Piet Mondrian, whose paintings ultimately led to the first non-figurative paintings or pure abstract art from 1914 onwards, pioneered such forms of cubist painting. In the twentieth century, Russian painter Wassily Kandisky pioneered non-figurative art.

Furthermore, in the 1940s, another form of abstract art called Abstract Expressionism emerged, in which the theory of expressionism was applied to abstract paintings. The art form had an enormous impact on contemporary American artists, with New York becoming the hub of Abstract Expressionism. Jackson Pollock in his action paintings used this technique of abstract expressionism wherein he dripped, dropped, smeared or threw paint onto the canvas to create an art object. Other well-known followers of Abstract Expressionism, also known as the New York School and Action Painting, are Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko.

Abstract art painting does not refer to any figurative reality; instead it depicts real forms in a simplified or reduced way, creating an allusion of the original subject.

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Romanesque Art - Painting Splendor of Western Europe

Romanesque Art was considered an early phase of the Gothic Art. It refers to the style prevalent in the Western Europe from tenth to twelfth century. The Romanesque Art peaked between 1075 AD and 1125 AD, in France, Italy, Britain, and the German fiefdoms. Romanesque Art was all about architectural, pictorial, and decorative styles, which literally means, "in the style of the Romans." Romanesque Art also has some occasional traces of Byzantine, Carolingian, Antique, and Eastern Art, especially in paintings. Romanesque Painting is strongly related to the Byzantine and late classical painting tradition, which had survived the barbarian invasions during several centuries. The 'Insular Art' of British Isles too had its role to play.

Close more to 'Abstraction' than 'Realism,' Romanesque Paintings have a marked didactic character and they are used almost exclusively for religious purposes. "Christ in Majesty," "Last Judgment," "Christ's Life," "Four Evangelists," "Gospel Books," "apostles," "prophets," "Apocalypse," "Noah's Ark," were the key themes portrayed. Blue-green, yellow ochre, reddish-brown, and black were the colors mostly used. Most of these paintings decorated the large wall surfaces and the plain, curving vaults of the Romanesque period. Mural painting percolated in well, especially in England, France, Serbia, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Very few of these large wall paintings have survived due to wear and tear. Some of the remaining frescoes can be found in the "Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe" in Poitou, France and in the "Church of S. George" at Oberzell. The paintings of sacred figures and objects were also made on glass panes. The "Cathedral of Saint Denis" near Paris has several examples of such glass paintings.

Romanesque Art also included illuminated manuscripts. The "Book of the Bible" was the most important manuscript of the Romanesque period and several illuminated copies of it were made. Many different versions of Bibles, as "Winchester Bible" were also carried out and they were adorned with the scenes from both Old and the New Testaments. Other manuscript illumination that arose in England, like the "Lindisfarne Gospels," were characterized by geometrically laced designs in capital letters, borders, and sometimes even on the entire page, which are often called carpet pages. The designs also frequently contained the representations of monstrous & grotesque human figures, birds, and beasts. There were several schools of manuscript illumination, developing distinct styles.

During Romanesque Period, wall paintings supplanted the church mosaics, with smoother forms and less aggressive designs. Romanesque Art reigned the West for almost around two centuries with its extraordinary creative richness, which even today is as captivating as it was then.

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Pop Art Paintings

Do you remember when you took pictures of your pet, that little cocker spaniel that you are so fond of? You also have that wonderful photo of your wife in which she looks perky and happy. They are both sitting in an album gathering dust when you feel they should be displayed somewhere. The photos, as they are now are to flimsy to be displayed without a frame and the frame would probably make the photo look so small that the personality in the picture would be lost. So, why not do something modern and interesting with it.

Pop are paintings are all the rage right now and these two photos you like so well, would lend themselves beautifully to pop art. The puppy can be done in three frames across or four frames up and down in different colors or in slight caricature. Your wife's portrait can also done in different colors and in different arrangements. If you have a series of pictures that you have taken and with which you are proud to say you have taken them, then have them all made into an interesting collage. Your favorite pictures can be made large and then cut into interesting panels of three or four separated or continuing pictures.

You would like to have this done but you are afraid you would have to part with your left lung to do so. Well, this is not true as the cost of either the pop art photo on canvas or the pop art on paper is not cost prohibitive at all. If you want an eight by ten oil it will cost you about one hundred and eighty nine dollars and the larger the pop art the more it will cost, which can be upward of abut five hundred dollars. And, of course, the fancier your taste the more expensive it will become. On the other hand, if you ware independently wealthy then cost is not an issue. However, how many of us that love beautiful things are independently wealthy? A beautiful piece of art creates a beautiful atmosphere in a room and pop art is a great way to enhance the decor of a modern room.

The popularity of pop art will bring that photograph that you took, to life in a different mode. However you choose to display your pop art paintings, you will see the beauty of your own handiwork displayed in your home for everyone to see, rather than pasted in an album gathering dust and only looked at occasionally. When you look at your pop art paintings you will be proud to tell everyone that you were the person behind the camera for the original photographs. It will build a memory that will live on for many years to come, and bring smiles from everyone that looks at them. So, whether you build a collage or independent pictures in a classic pop art design, you will be building lasting memories as well.

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Finding Famous Celebrity Art Paintings

The niche market of famous art paintings has been on the rise over the past decade. The reason for this is due to the obsession within the United States with celebrities and fame. In fact, it is more common for newspapers and magazines to comment and report on the lives of celebrities, then it is for them to actually report about world events or "news worthy" topics. This obsession with celebrities and fame has led to a very dramatic and almost shocking rise in the sell and value of celebrity art.

Collectors and fans are also very aware that obtaining, collecting, and then selling celebrity art is a very beneficial way to make a living. This is why more and more collectors and fans have been seeking out celebrity art to add to their celebrity based or entertainment based collections.
Value on art paintings increases with the popularity and in some cases declining popularity of celebrities. For instance, a celebrity who stays on top of their career and seems to become more popular with each passing year is highly sought after when it comes to celebrity art.

Collectors are no fools and realize that a popular art paintings work will be worth its weight of gold in the future after they retire or are even deceased. In fact, the celebrity art of a deceased individual will actually bring in more money than that of a living celebrity. The reasoning for this is very simple. Once a celebrity is deceased they will no longer be able to continue creating artwork. Therefore, the art of a deceased celebrity will be considered rare and die-hard collectors and fans of the celebrity will pay almost anything to own art from the celebrity.
On the other side a celebrity who has become a "spectacle" who also created art, will see their art selling more and more. This is generally due to the scandals or "circus" that surround the celebrity in question.

Two prime examples of this are Michael Jackson and Brittany Spears. Both of these celebrities started out with very well known and publicized careers. Their concerts sold out to millions and they were the golden children of the media. However, the moment their personal lives began to spiral out of control and their images began to grow tarnished under the media spotlight, their value when it concerns collectibles and their art, actually increased.

It increased due to the fact that their fame increased regardless of the fact that their albums were not selling as well as they used to. The notoriety of these celebrities actually added great value to their paintings. They will always be remembered for their early careers that changed music, but will be remembered even more for the circus that unfolded when their personal lives began to crumble or grow strange.

These are just a few reasons why the niche market of celebrity art has been on the rise and will continue to rise in the next decade. No matter what world events take place, people can't get enough of celebrities and will do whatever it takes to obtain a small piece of their lives whether this be in the form of autographed photos or original artwork created by the celebrity in question.

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Learn More About Sci-Fi Art and Abstract Art Paintings

It may be obvious to some, but sci-fi art can never be outgrown, no matter our physical age. The reality of our world is such that what is sci-fi today, will become science fact tomorrow. Jules Verne's 19th century works live in our 21st century, having begun their march toward reality in the 20th century: man can fly, search the seabeds, cure many of the ailments that were deadly in earlier times. For this exciting subject, we need an exemplar, and that is where sci-fi art comes in. If it is a simple depiction of the moon or a fantastically detailed portrayal of a favorite character from a sci-fi movie, it can be accomplished in abstract art, which is itself on the fantastic end of the art spectrum. Art to gives life to our dreams and inspires us to accomplish more.

Sci-Fi art is unique in that it moves beyond the representational, beyond the depiction of things in our everyday life, and flies ahead to the realms of the imagined future. From hovercraft to far-flung planets, there is a range of the 'just beyond tomorrow' to the 'centuries ahead of tomorrow' to choose for a subject. A hovercraft, a real and true means of transport, is by no means a commonplace way to travel and of course faster-than-light travel is beyond our capabilities, yet both may be the subject of an abstract painting of fascination. For some, this is the uttermost basic thing about sci-fi art: the fantastic vehicles that storied characters use in sci-fi movies. For others, it is the strange environments of planets that hold out-of-this-world creatures and plant life. What would we do if we were able to visit another planet, we wonder? Would we hold our own against a savage environment, or would we shape it to our own needs? Sci-fi art fuels the imagination and there is no limit to the worlds which an artist can create.

Looking at the stars each night, we see points of light that fancy dictates tells us a story, related from the ancient Greeks, Persians, Chinese and other star-gazing cultures.

Even more complex are the travelers between the stars, the comets whose swing near our own dear planet enrapture all mankind. Even those folks without telescopes will notice the movement and wonder about the traveler: Where did it come from? Where is it going? Sci-Fi art which captures the moment of a comet's brushing by or the virtual reality of us standing on a moon of Titan gives wing to our innermost desires. For many, sci-fi art is an escape from the dinginess of their real life environment and this escape makes life bearable in an unhappy time. For others, the scientific aspect of space travel enthralls, as they calculate exactly what color the sky would be on the aforementioned moon of Titan, and what would our own planet look like from there.

Sci-Fi art may include the world of fantasy, the realms of Tolkien and Rowling and others who write of a universe just slightly different from our familiar one. For those who enjoy fantasy, a piece of abstract art will magnify their devotion to the fantastic world of their choice, for example the Hildebrandt Brothers' version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien. An abstract series of paintings in this genre would truly stand out, as the abstract quality of the fortified city of Gondor turns the whole painting into a giant rhomboid that comes alive with the many levels of the city forming striking designs on its sides. Far from outgrowing such interests such as a thirst for sci-fi art or fantasy art or both, such an enlivening part of our days will make them more worthwhile, more filled with joie de vivre.

Peter Dranitsin is a self taught and self representing artist. He grew up in the family where his mother a professional artist and his father a professional photographer.
"As a kid growing up Peter took art classes and learned the basic concepts of drawing, painting and sculpture. Peter loves to paint and contribute all of his time creating new paintings.
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How to Look at Art Paintings

My very first visit to the art museum was a journey through a maze. I was on a school excursion intended to foster art appreciation amongst students, yet I quickly found myself losing concentration and drifting off to sleep whenever I couldn't make sense of the abstract brushstrokes or strange imagery used by artists in paintings.

This doesn't look like anything!" I remember exclaiming to a schoolmate, still trying to associate the elements of painting with familiar everyday objects.
When my efforts to put the work in perspective were futile, i scurried away with my friends to view the next most eye-catching work, often paying no attention to the ones that were less colourful or striking.

There were always those questions of "What the paintings meant" and "How one could search for these meanings", that we, non-art students, had no answers to. I was sure however, that there was more to art than visual appeal alone.

After all, famous documentary maker John Grierson once described art as a hammer, not a mere reflection of reality;He believed that art had the potential to evoke emotions and bring to light to issues men have buried in the unconscious. Hit by the same questions again and again after I visited a painting exhibition in San Francisco recently, I embarked on quest to learn from the experts.

Getting Started
#1 Physical Properties
Consider the dimensions of the painting, it's size relative to the environment and how it's displayed. (i.e: framed, unframed or freestanding)
Some artists intend for their work to be extremely large in scale to create a certain kind of impact or to evoke a certain sense of awe.
Look closely at the painting and examine what types of medium the artist had chosen to use. (i.e: acrylic paint, oil paint, watercolour paint, charcoal, metal) Observe how the paint has been applied. (i.e: with a brush, fingers, sponge).
How has the artist used his or her tools to create a certain feeling and what would change if it were substituted for something else?
Is there a certain texture that has been created (i.e: rough, smooth, edgy) that causes you to cringe, feel like touching it or respond to it in a certain way?
Also pay attention to elements like lines which may affect the way your eye is being directed and the use of colours to create a certain mood.

#2 Subject
In most paintings, there should be a focal point or a central element that captures your attention and draws your eye to it first. This may provide you with clues concerning the theme or issue the artist may be trying to shed light upon.
For example, in Blue Clamp (1981), a masterpiece of American artist Jim Dine, the eye is first drawn to the blue clamp central to the heart in the painting. The physical properties combined with the clamp evoke a strong sense of pain, as if one can picture another bleeding,
When looking at a painting, consider whether you can associate any imagery with past experiences or symbols that may signify particular events/issues.
Is the work abstract or something that breaks boundaries and fixed notions about beauty?
20th century artists often experiment with different ways of creating art, questioning expectations of what art should or should not be.

#3 Viewer's Perspective
Finally, pay attention to where the artist has positioned you as a viewer and what perspective you have been forced to undertake.
Are you looking into a house, looking from above or below a subject?
Does the gaze of the subject (i.e: a man) invite you to look closely at him or does he seem disconnected from the viewer because we cannot see his face?
The artist makes deliberate choices about what he wants to reveal and what he wants to hide from the viewer, and we can derive meaning from these choices
For example, if a subject's face is not being shown, it could imply a lack of status or identity, depending on the associations one makes.
While some pieces of work are more abstract than others, the meaning of any painting is open to your interpretation. There are no right or wrong answers, so don't be afraid of speaking your mind!
Try talking about a painting with a friend and you'll be surprised how different his or her ideas could be!

Note down what runs through your mind the next time you step into an art gallery and look at paintings with a whole new light!

The writer, Shannon, runs Artyii, an online platform for emerging Asian Artists to sell their original art paintings.

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African Art Paintings: A Brief History of African Fine Art Paintings

The history of African paintings makes for a fascinating and rich account. Some of the earliest rock paintings of Africa have been found in Namibia. They are estimated to date back to over 27,000 years, though it is almost impossible to point a precise date. In the historic times, African wall art was largely restricted to rock carvings and paintings. The cave man would depict the lifestyle of an age through such paintings that he must have found cathartic. However, soon the carvings over rocks began to take a deep and more powerful meaning.

African men began to forge connections of their rock paintings with their ancestors. History is rich with tales and anecdotes of African man's obsession with the dead. The Egyptian pyramids and tombs are clear-cut testimonies of their zeal to connect with the departed. Even during the pre-historic era, men in this continent found a way to reach out to the dead. They would often sketch some symbols or signs which were meant to impart some message to the ancestors.

Over the next few centuries, tribal migration became a part of the African history. It was during this phase that the notorious tribes like the Bushmen invented African decorative paintings. Men and women would also use their bodies as a canvas in order to paint themselves in the exclusive color or design which was identical for all members of a particular tribe or community.

Before long, image-based paintings gave way to abstract art. An exact estimate of the date cannot be made in this context but it can be assumed with safety that factors like creativity, imagination and lack of any alternative subject must have contributed to the birth to the concept of abstract art. Earlier, monochromes were the only visible colors as depicted in rocks and stones. Later on, fruits and leaves began to be used to extract colors which soon ran into vogue and lay the foundation for colored paintings.

In the medieval era, Africa witnessed the advent of Europeans. The colonists from Europe brought their own distinct culture and art. The Renaissance form of art was amongst the most popular forms during that time. It did have its expected amount of impact on the African paintings. However, it would be fair to say that it failed to bring about any major transformation. African wall art retained its original flavor and continued with its quintessential depiction of life, lifestyle, spirituality and abstractness.

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