A frantic search through the walls of major art galleries will spot a certain piece of art whose meaning is left at the mercy of the art lover. Most times, the world has been seen and understood in different shades by various people. One utility that art proffers to humanity is the representation of its many facets in such a way that the objective nature of life does not hinder the subjective appreciation of the world. In fact, art tells the most valid truth about the world, which is; that it is best understood from the viewer’s perspective. Inadvertently, we have been discussing abstract painting without knowing.

A work that is abstract may mean various things to many people. It all depends on the level of appreciation of the work by the viewer. In figurative arts, meanings are predictable and limited; for example, a painting of a cow depicts a cow and nothing more! But a mishmash of colours can be read in various ways. That experience was what inspired the writing of this article.

Abstract art is a form of artistic expression that deviates from reality; in other words it can be said to be unreal art or imaginative art. It is art that is not illustrative of real life forms; it can take any shape, form or size. Its content is more or less the imaginative creativity of the artist and does not depict any familiar or recognizable object. Most times the meaning of a work is locked up in the mind of its creator. The onus lies on the viewer to read whatever meaning he or she deems fit.

The level of deviation of abstract art from reality can be gauged. Some artworks can be very abstract, or purely abstract, while others can be mildly abstract. The concept of abstract arts developed as a result of the need to go beyond the boundaries of realism in art. The progenitors of abstract art, used colours, shapes and lines to put up visual images that had in them a meaning that cannot be deciphered by the artistic mind, except in cases where the artist states the driving theme behind the work.

The level of appreciation of abstract art depends on the ability of the viewer to deeply read the real message, the unrealistic image is trying to portray. In the real sense, it is very difficult to attain a perfect degree of accuracy or precision in visual arts assuming the artist is trying to paint a real object. This buttresses the opinion that to some degree there is a level of abstraction in all artwork.