Really, all [[landscape]] art is made up of abstract elements - ### artists who work with limited or monotone palettes; Often exploring black or dark tones whilst creating rich textures to give depth and complexity to their works. The artists here span various mediums and movements, from abstract expressionism to minimalism and contemporary art: **1. Pierre Soulages** • **Style**: Abstract painter known as the “painter of black.” His technique, called _outrenoir_ (“beyond black”), uses black as a material and subject, exploring its interaction with light. • **Textures**: He applies thick layers of black paint, often sculpting the surface with tools to create dramatic contrasts and reflective textures. • **Notable Works**: His large-scale black paintings where light plays a key role in revealing subtle textures. ![[f097406f231dee927c9139d93df420c0.jpg]] **2. Richard Serra** • **Style**: Minimalist sculptor and draftsman. His monochrome drawings and sculptures often utilise black or dark tones. • **Textures**: Works like his _Drawings_ series involve dense layers of black paintstick (a waxy crayon), resulting in heavily textured, almost tactile surfaces. • **Notable Works**: His black paintings on paper and large-scale steel sculptures often convey weight and depth through texture. **3. Louise Nevelson** • **Style**: Sculptor known for her monochromatic wood assemblages, often painted entirely in black, white, or gold. • **Textures**: She created rich, layered compositions using found wooden objects and coated them with matte paint to unify and emphasise texture. • **Notable Works**: _Sky Cathedral_ and other black-painted wall assemblages. **4. Anish Kapoor** • **Style**: Contemporary sculptor and installation artist. While not exclusively monochromatic, Kapoor has famously worked with **Vantablack**, one of the darkest substances on Earth, absorbing 99.96% of light. • **Textures**: Kapoor’s black works focus on creating a void-like effect, using ultra-smooth or dense textures to make surfaces appear infinite. • **Notable Works**: Sculptures using Vantablack and other deeply pigmented black surfaces. **5. Alberto Burri** • **Style**: Postwar Italian artist associated with Arte Povera. His _Nero Plastica_ series involves predominantly black works. • **Textures**: He used unconventional materials like burlap, charred wood, and melted plastic to create rich, textured compositions. • **Notable Works**: _Combustione Plastica_, where burned plastic forms dynamic textures. **6. Ad Reinhardt** • **Style**: Abstract expressionist and minimalist. Reinhardt is known for his near-black paintings, which are subtle gradations of dark hues. • **Textures**: Though visually flat, his works invite close observation to perceive slight shifts in tone and texture. • **Notable Works**: _Black Paintings_ series, featuring squares and rectangles of subtly different black tones. **7. Tara Donovan** • **Style**: Contemporary artist who creates large-scale installations and sculptures, often using repetitive materials like pins, straws, or glass. • **Textures**: While her work isn’t always black, she often relies on light and shadow to create visual depth, giving her monochromatic works rich textures. • **Notable Works**: Sculptures and installations that play with density and surface. **8. Kazuo Shiraga (Gutai Group)** • **Style**: Japanese avant-garde painter who worked with dark and monochrome palettes. His works are texturally rich due to his unique methods, like painting with his feet. • **Textures**: Thick, gestural layers of paint that create a dynamic surface. • **Notable Works**: Abstract works with swirling black and dark pigments. **9. Magdalena Abakanowicz** • **Style**: Polish sculptor known for her large, monochromatic textile works. • **Textures**: Her black fibre sculptures are highly textured, often evoking organic forms or humanoid figures. • **Notable Works**: _Abakans_, large, dark textile installations. These artists use monochrome palettes, particularly black, as a means to focus attention on materiality, texture, and light. Their works invite close inspection, revealing depth and complexity through subtle variations in texture and surface. ### Abstract Art and The Atmospheric The Atmospheric interplays with Abstract art through themes of [[perception]], mood, and intangible qualities that evoke feelings or experiences beyond literal representation. Here’s an exploration of more how they connect: ### **1. Non-Literal Evocation of Mood** Abstract art often creates an _atmosphere_ by bypassing representational forms and directly engaging the viewer’s emotions or senses. Without depicting specific objects or scenes, abstract works can evoke a wide range of atmospheric qualities—tranquillity, tension, expansiveness, or mystery—through: • **Colour**: Muted tones can create calm, misty atmospheres, while bold colours can evoke vibrancy or chaos. • **Texture**: Layers of paint, rough surfaces, or smooth gradients contribute to tactile or visual atmospheres. • **Form and Space**: Abstract shapes can mimic spatial qualities like openness, density, or ambiguity, creating atmospheric depth. ### **2. Aesthetic Immersion** Atmospheric abstract art immerses the viewer, creating an almost [[Ecology|environmental]] experience. This is particularly true for: • **Large-scale works**: These envelop the viewer’s field of vision, generating a sense of being surrounded by the artwork’s “air” or presence. • **Subtle shifts in tone**: Works by artists like Mark Rothko or Agnes Martin create a contemplative, almost meditative atmosphere through minimalist colour gradients or delicate grid patterns. ### **3. Movement and Dynamism** Atmosphere in abstract art can also stem from the dynamic qualities of movement or flow: • **Brushstrokes and Gestural Marks**: Energetic strokes, like those in Jackson Pollock’s action paintings or Kazuo Shiraga’s works, convey an atmosphere of raw energy and spontaneity. • **Layering and Transparency**: Techniques that mimic natural phenomena like fog, water, or light diffusion can create atmospheric depth and resonance. ### **4. Interaction with the Viewer** Atmosphere in abstract art is not fixed but highly subjective. Each viewer brings their own interpretations, memories, and feelings to the work, meaning the atmosphere can shift depending on: • **Personal Context**: A viewer’s state of mind can affect whether they perceive the atmosphere as serene or unsettling. • **Viewing Conditions**: Lighting, distance, and placement affect how the work’s atmosphere is experienced. **5. Examples of Atmospheric Abstract Artists** • **Mark Rothko**: His _Color Field_ paintings use large, soft-edged blocks of colour to create a sense of enveloping atmosphere, often described as spiritual or transcendent. • **J.M.W. Turner (Precursor)**: Though not fully abstract, Turner’s late works blur forms and emphasise light and colour to evoke atmospheric qualities, influencing later abstract artists. • **Gerhard Richter**: His abstract works, like the _Seestück_ (Seascape) series, create atmospheres that hover between abstraction and representation, often invoking foggy or dreamlike spaces. • **Helen Frankenthaler**: Her stain-painting technique creates atmospheric effects reminiscent of flowing water or [[expansive]] skies. **6. Conceptual Link to Natural Atmosphere** Atmosphere in abstract art parallels the natural atmosphere in that both are intangible yet deeply influential. Just as weather or light conditions shape the mood of a [[landscape]], the compositional choices in abstract art shape the emotional or sensory “weather” of the piece. Abstract art’s relationship with the atmospheric lies in its ability to evoke and shape an intangible environment through visual and emotional cues, engaging the viewer on a sensory and psychological level. It transforms a physical space into a realm of mood, feeling, and imagination. Textures, shapes & colours ![[Abstract sunset.jpg]] `Concepts:` [[Art]] `Knowledge Base:`