Abstract vs. Realism

The colors overlap, the textures clash, and paint may splatter along with shapes that evoke movement. On the contrary, an abundance of details come together to resemble a photo that captures your eye. Which resonates with you more?

One taps into a psychological visual experience that stirs emotions, and requires you to come up with your own interpretation of what it could be. The other is a direct representation of a person, place or thing.

During my creative journey, I've been attracted to both abstract and realism, but when I was younger, my strive was to make my drawings as realistic as I could through drawing portraits of celebrities and basketball players. By high school, I took a graffiti class which pushed me to explore, think outside of the box and be more expressive. I began manipulating letters, using more color, exaggerating faces, and pushing boundaries. Although graffiti writing and character drawing can represent something recognizable, this is where I was introduced to abstract art. It opened a door that showed me a space where it was up to me to determine how far a letter can be manipulated.

Which one do I resonate more with? Honestly, it's hard to say. I think there's so much freedom that comes with creating abstract art. It allows room to go against traditional norms, experiment with new techniques, and challenge the viewer to understand the piece in their own way. Sometimes there's so much freedom that it's too much, and the concept or idea of a piece is so abstract to the point where now it's a question of whether or not its art anymore. This opens up a separate conversation about who can say what art is or isn't.

Realism imitates life. There's structure, order, and technique involved to achieve realistic effects. Whether it's a portrait, landscape, or still life, I'm not trying to figure out what it is. Sometimes I can enjoy an art piece that is straight to the point. In my opinion, just as abstract art can have too much freedom, realistic art doesn't have enough of it. The requirements of capturing life as it is or real life from imagination are heavy. The accuracy of shadows, skin tones, and textures take a lot of skill and patience.

In conclusion, I love a blend of both. My artwork uses the structure of realism and lays the foundation for the abstract shapes and colors to go along with it. With having a background in both graffiti and traditional art, my art allows me to get the best of both worlds in my own way.