Robert M Baumbach Art and Photography

Abstraction

We often confuse abstraction in art with abstract expressionism. The Jackson Pollock or Wassily Kandinsky style of expressionist painting is often loosely termed abstract art. In reality abstraction is the simplifying of a natural subject to show the meaning of the subject. By cutting away and presenting only the part of the subject that is necessary to convey the meaning intended we arrive at a true abstraction. Of course the amount of cutting away or simplifying is dependent on the message that the artist is trying to draw from the subject at hand.

Reflections, Scotia Pond

Reflections in water illustrate this point. Some reflections simply support the image’s subject matter while other reflections become the subject matter.

In the images below we see reflections that are supportive. The subject is not the reflection, but the object reflected.

Alan Seeger Park, Rothrock State Forest, PA

At the left: The reflections in this stream scene create interesting dynamic lines and highlights but the rippling stream is the central theme.

Farm and Pond along the Lower Trail, Huntingdon County, PA

The pond reflects the farm to create some interest in the farm which is largely hidden by trees

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