The Concept of Realism and Abstractionism - Essay Example

From the Figuration and Abstraction—The Struggle (2014) video, it is evident that art has greatly transited. With the immigration into the US from Europe, art evolved with time. Among the artists who mark this transition period is Han Hoffman, who influences artists like Pollock Jackson. The art portrayed in this video is realist art as from the painting- the colour, landscape- one can attest to a sense of reality in the art. The images of this time are representative as opposed to abstracts that do not understand the truth in them. In 1960, for instance, Hoffman’s work was abstractions as he presented an abstract image of blocks on each other that do not have meaning (Figuration and Abstraction—The Struggle, 2014). The last pictures have well-shaped blocks overlapping each other; these images create a sensible visual context. This explains the transition to realism, especially in paintings by Gottlieb, who uses an array of colours to define his works.

From the video Development in Sculpture - Rodin to Judo (2014), realism and abstractionism are part of America’s artistic culture as Rodin challenges the outdated traditions of sculpture. The present-day sculptures explain a transition of art characterized by paintings and sculptures that display meaning devoid of words. From the Revolutions in the Early 20th Century (2014) video, art sought to communicate aspects of the modern world.

The transition from abstraction, which involved simplifying forms and being less naturalist, to realism was expressed through photography, leading to capturing accurate images. Henri Matisse captures images of people dancing, and Frida Kahlo paints a picture that shows real emotions in two women (Revolutions in Early 20th Century, 2014). This is an apparent transformation from the abstraction of images in previous centuries. The video, The Edges of West and East (2014), explains western art's path throughout history. An analysis of this video explains that Western art has developed from the abstractionism aspect to realism. This video shows that the art of Central and South America has played a significant role in developing contemporary American culture. Euro-American art seemingly presents more aspects of realism than other parts of America. The Soviet Union has also been impacted by changes in art in different areas of the globe.

Conclusively, it is evident that American art has had a long history. Through art, one can readily appreciate western civilization; its place today is not comparable. Present art is characterized by optical power and creativity that echoes the development through the ages.