according to Peter Fingesten's article "Spirituality, Mysticism and Non-Objective Art," abstract art by people such as Kandinsky, Pollock, and Mondrian are connected with the spirituality of theosophy, a concept of universal religion, claiming that all forms of religion are striving toward a spiritual hierarchy and thus have some element of truth about them. Non-objective art is abstract, intending to not represent any sort of object.
"The founders of the non-objective styles of art either identified with mystical movements or thought in terms of extreme subjective idealism, aesthetically as well as philosophicall" (Fingesten, 4).
"In the abstract-expressionist style, for the first time in the history of art, there is no dichotomy between matter and spirit, or form and meaning, for they have fused" (Fingesten, 5).
Abstract art tries to express the inward soul outwardly, without representing anything we see in this world. Fingesten talks about how when we look at non-objective/abstract art, it reminds us of nothing in this world, so we focus more on the spirit of the piece, or the expression of the mind. "new forms create new emotions with which we have to become acquainted" (Fingesten,5). I can really see these concepts when I look at the works of Pollock and Kandinsky. They are bursting with colors and shapes that make me feel something that isn't really describably in a literal sense. And words do not express it. Just like music expresse things which words cannot express, so does this abstract form of art. and Kandinsky himself was a musician, so he understood the concept as well. This art form can really expand our minds and the pure, honest expression brings us closer to something spiritual.
"The originators of non-objective art believed that the forms and colors they employed were a priori charged with spiritual content that evokes a corresponding spiritual response in the 'soul' of the observer" (Fingesten, 6). The images above are by Mondrian, Kandinsky, and Pollock. The rest of my explanation about these works cannot be expressed in words, so I will keep silent.
Spirituality, Mysticism and Non-Objective Art
Peter Fingesten
Art Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Autumn, 1961), pp. 2-6
Published by: College Art Association
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