Understanding Abstract Art

Abstract paintings use color and form to describe feelings and impressions that often cannot be expressed in words. As a result, when viewing abstract art, “What do I feel?” is often a more helpful question than “What do I think?” Since we are in a culture that thinks verbally, however, we often “see” things that can be expressed in words.

Often what we see reflects who we are. Sometimes this becomes obvious when other people don’t see what seems plain to us. Sometimes we can convince others to see what we see; other times they never “get it” the way we do.

This problem of interpretation (that what we see depends on who we are) is true for life in general. I have a painting that I brought to a small church service in Chicago. I did the painting while thinking about the pain I imagine was felt by Native Americans as they witnessed their treaties being broken. The large 3 x 4 foot canvas looks like this:

(Except it's much bigger!) I displayed the painting without talking about it. The small group of us were able to see the painting throughout the worship service. Afterwards several people came up to tell me how much they liked the painting. One friend told me she liked the painting because it showed God's loving Spirit so clearly. Another friend told me how much he liked the painting because he could see the gates of hell in it so clearly.

So what was the painting “about”? Was it about the pain of broken promises? (Yes, for me.) Was it about the love of God's Spirit? (Yes, for Judy.) Was it about the horror of hell? (Yes, for Bruce.) Abstract art often is a mirror. When we look, we see ourselves as much as we see what is on the canvas.

I mention all this because often people describe what they see in abstract works of art as if their interpretation is the only valid one. But what cannot be described by others is what you will see, because what you will see will be a reflection of your personality and experiences.

Some people, reading titles or explanations of the paintings in the Mark Dahle Museum, may be disappointed that I didn’t write about what they see. But I can only write my part of the story. Your part is up to you.

Mark Dahle

Mark Dahle's paintings hang in collections around the United States, from Florida to Alaska. You can view his work at MarkDahle.com

Copyright © 2006 Mark Dahle