abstract
re: Fine Arts.
1. art works which pertain to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., esp. with reference to their relationship to one another.

2. art works which have indiscernible or difficult to identify subject matter while still focusing on and expressing aesthetic principles

3. (often initial capital letter) pertaining to the nonrepresentational art styles of the 20th century.



In terms of photography, abstract art can be a fertile ground for exploration of one's point of view as a photographer. It is a place where the artist can truly show viewers the ways in which he or she views the world and interacts with his or her environment. Abstract photography is expressive, abstruse, and intriguing.


Abstraction generally focuses on recontextualizing the subject by showing it in a way that takes it out of the context in which it appears in daily life. It can be severe or slight, ranging from completely indiscernible to just a high level of focus on formal content over communication of the subject/object.

Depictions of impossible or otherworldly situations are actually not abstract, but rather are Surrealist. Sometimes the boundary between the two is a bit blurry and images can be both abstract and Surreal.


The gist: If you can tell what it is immediately, it probably isn't abstract, i.e. portraits, cars, musical instruments, photos of your own feet, landscapes, whole buildings with evident surroundings, any images that are just inverted colors or rotated sideways without necessarily having abstract subject matter.




Here are some of my personal favorites from around the deviantART photography galleries: