What’s non-figurative art, and what’s it all about?
First let’s be clear what we’re talking about. Now, I’m not going to get into some semantic argument about what is the difference between figurative and non-figurative art. That’s like arguing how many angels can dance on the tip of a paint brush – that way lies madness. I’m talking from an artist’s viewpoint, not a philosopher’s.
Let’s look at a simple working definition. Figurative art is anything that can be defined by the viewer. So, if I can look at a work, and say that’s a: cat, orange, landscape, planet, pan-scrub… that’s figurative. Everything else is non-figurative. (If you are interested in discussing that, please email andy-wibblwwibble@planetwibble.ennuie – not me)
It’s interesting to discuss this in 2021. When I was a youngster, people used to berate what they called ‘modern art’ – by which they usually meant abstract (non-figurative) art. I remember, as I was proudly announcing my commencement at art college, being advised by relatives: “Hope you’ll be painting stuff we can understand. Pictures that look like something.”
Today we’ve moved on, and all forms of art are widely accepted. Some of the more esoteric forms still cause people to scratch their heads, but non-figurative art is just part of the common artistic canon.
Hard edge days
In fact at times, abstract art has seemed like THE mainstream. When I started at college, the flavour of the month was not just abstract, but also ‘hard edge’. This approach goes back to artists like Piet Mondrian and progresses to the work of the likes of Frank Stella in the 60s. It was characterised by areas of flat coloUr in hard-edged geometric shape.
Most of my college contemporaries would head down to the studio cans of paint and rolls of masking tape.
Tough times for a figurative painter.
I loved all that, and really got a buzz out of creating works that had no direct connection with the observed world, and were purely expressions of my emotional experience – but… and it’s a big but… Where did that leave ‘unfashionable’ figurative painters?
Well, I continued mixing both forms of painting. One day, my tutor was browsing my portfolio and noted, “That’s a surprise. You’re doing a lot more figurative work than anyone else in the college, I think… probably in the country. I think there’s only you and Hockney,” he joked.
So, there have always been fashions in art, and more ‘movements’ than there are bristles in a paint brush. Fortunately it seems today we have more freedom than ever to create just however we want. And one person who draws or paints is worth more than 100 who just discuss.
Where did non-figurative art come from?
For centuries, most artists relied upon patronage to make a living and survive. Their work was commissioned by religious institutions and wealthy individuals and families, mainly royalty. What was required was representations of recognisable forms and figures. Kings, queens, gods and saints paid well.
By the early 1800’s, that source of work had declined steeply. Soon it was replaced by a growing gallery system. Artists then found the freedom to think ‘What do I want to create?’ and ‘Why?’
They began developing an interest in colour and line, and the effect of light, what we recognise as impressionism. Taking that further, expressionists were interested in striving to express emotions through pure shape and colour etc.
The first true abstract painting, most art historians agree was Wassily Kandinsky’s Untitled (First Abstract Watercolour), 1910
Perhaps another contemporary influence that contributed to a move away from the figurative was the growth in photography. Why strive for perfect realism when the camera can achieve that so much more easily?
Non-figurative art is not easier.
There is a myth that abstract art is easier – ‘Anyone could do that.’
That’s just people confusing the concept with the execution. What those critics mean is, ‘Having seen that, I could copy it.’ Coming up with the original idea is much harder.
Also, for the figurative painter, the world is full of symbols that are universally recognised as pointers to emotions – what Jung called ‘the collective unconscious’. Flowers, children, weather, the sea etc. – all are shorthand to signify other emotions. What we know as semiotic meaning.
So as a figurative painter, I could create a picture of a child and instantly trigger many emotions in the viewer – try creating the same response just using shape, line and colour.