Dish with Abstract Design, Japan, second half of the 17th century CE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Abstract art is confusing for many viewers. Without recognizable subject matter, this art can feel unfamiliar and opaque, and its association with the Avant-garde (boundary-pushing modern and contemporary art) may make it seem even further outside most people’s comfort zones. But while it’s true that interpretation can be a particularly subjective business where abstract art is concerned, the process does not have to be intimidating.
In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of abstract art, debunk some common misconceptions, and suggest a few tips for how to engage with abstract art whenever you encounter it. You can learn more about these concepts in The Art Museum Insider, a handbook about understanding and interpreting artworks of all kinds.
What is abstract art?
When we say that an artwork is abstract, we mean that it does not include representational subject matter – depictions of people, places, or things. Instead, it creates a visual experience using elements like colors, shapes, lines, and patterns without trying to re-create the appearances of recognizable items.
Despite what we tend to assume, abstract art is nothing new. Around the turn of the 20th century, artists in Europe and North America popularized abstract painting and sculpture as part of a larger Modernist movement, but artists all over the world have been making abstract art since ancient times. In fact, some of the earliest known prehistoric art includes abstract imagery whose significance we still don’t fully understand. And while western art generally prioritized representation until fairly recently, that’s not necessarily the case in the global history of art.
Thus, there is no one single abstract art movement. Instead, it’s a broad term that can fit many different styles and aesthetics. There are nearly as many different ways to make an abstract artwork as there are artists to create them. Beyond their lack of representational subject matter, there’s really nothing that abstract artworks universally have in common.
Every art form you can possibly imagine can include abstract imagery, but abstract painting and sculpture tend to confuse people the most. That’s probably because we expect (not always reasonably) to find definite meanings, messages, and stories in these art forms. Meanwhile, abstract motifs are familiar and abundant in decorative arts like pottery and textiles – objects we’re generally more comfortable observing without extensive interpretation. Due to the fact that Modernist abstract paintings and sculptures are generally not in the public domain yet, their photographs don’t appear in this article.

Interpreting abstract art
With representational art, the identity of the subject matter and its outside connotations generally play a role in meaning. In other words, we often interpret what is depicted at least as much as how it’s depicted. With abstraction, that’s not the case. In fact, artists choose to create abstract art specifically because they don’t want us to fixate on these outside connections. But this can be challenging for viewers who don’t know where to start without the familiarity of subjects they recognize from their own lives.
Although abstract art does not depict physical things, it can still reference ideas, sensations, experiences, and even objects from the outside world in less literal ways. For example, American artist Alma Thomas made abstract paintings inspired by her own garden without literally depicting its flowers and trees, while abstraction pioneer Wassily Kandinsky thought of his works like the visual equivalent of musical compositions. Abstract images can also have a host of religious, spiritual, cultural, and symbolic connotations that vary based on time and place. On the other hand, some abstract artists go to great lengths to avoid anything that could possibly reference the outside world, preferring for their art to stand apart from all else.
This definitely makes for some challenges as a viewer, since the relationship between the imagery and what it refers to is highly subjective and circuitous. Without clear and familiar references to latch onto, it can be difficult to know how to start. Plus, these references may not be all that concrete. There may not be a singular idea the artist wanted to convey to us in the first place, or it may not read the same to everyone. Kandinsky’s paintings may not bring the same types of music to mind for everyone, for example. Plus, unless the artist has expressly stated verbally somewhere what an artwork is about, we have no way of knowing if we’ve caught onto their intended meaning anyway.
By the way, meanings are not necessarily singular, concrete, or agreed upon by all observers in representational art either. But this fact seems to bother us less for some reason, maybe because we’re not always aware of it.

Tips for Interpreting Abstract Art
Tip #1: While it’s tempting to look for hints of recognizable subjects in abstract compositions (like we see animals in clouds and coffee stains), this isn’t the only or the most rewarding approach. Instead of (or in addition to) trying to tie what you observe to physical objects from the outside world, consider its more intangible effects. This might include the mood or tone of the piece, whether you get a sense of movement or space, and the energy or rhythm of the piece.
Tip #2: As we’ve already seen, there’s nothing homogeneous about abstract art as a whole. So, don’t search for a universal interpretive technique or set of underlying ideas to apply to every abstract artwork you encounter.
Tip #3: Unsure whether an artwork is abstract or representational? That’s okay. This can happen when artists portray representational subject matter in highly stylized or non-naturalistic (“abstracted”) ways or include hints of recognizable elements within otherwise abstract compositions. In fact, artworks that seem to straddle the line between representation and abstraction are often the most interesting. Thus, don’t worry about labeling something as abstract or not, since doing so won’t enhance your experience.
Tip #4: Given all the challenges and subjectivity we’ve just discussed, there’s no point getting hung up on whether your interpretation matches anyone else’s. Having a meaningful encounter with an abstract artwork is a much better and more achievable goal than finding a “correct” answer. Just allow yourself to be comfortable with this ambiguity.

Special Offer!
You can learn more about how to understand and interpret abstract art in The Art Museum Insider. This downloadable handbook is designed to help you approach any type of art with confidence, including abstract art.
Here’s some of what you’ll learn that can help with abstract art in particular:
- the visual building blocks of art
- the many ways artworks can create meaning
- prompts, exercises, and approaches to help you appreciate unfamiliar art
- how things like historical context, function, and the artist’s identity can help us understand an artwork
- how to analyze art like an art historian
As a thank you for reading this post, take 20% off The Art Museum Insider. Use code INSIDER at checkout. This offer is valid through 4/30/2025.
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