Explanation with examples of the difference between abstraction and representational art in photography.

1. 1
Representational and Abstract art
Piet Mondrian, Composition
in red yellow and blue, 1921
Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus, 1601

2. 2
In the Caravaggio painting the
composition consists of the
arrangement of people and
recogniseable objects.
The painting clearly represents
people sitting around a table –
things that we could find in the
‘real’ world.
Works like this are called
representational or figurative.
The Mondrian painting also
involves a composition process,
but in this case it is a
composition of shapes, lines
and colours.
The picture seems not to
directly represent anything
which we would find in the ‘real’
world.

3. 3
Film ‘stills’ from the film La
Jetee.
Abstract or representational?

4. 4
Photogram by Lazolo Maholy-Nagy
Abstract or representational?

5. 5
Whilst some works are
clearly representational and
others clearly abstract, many
photographs or artworks
seem to be representational
(figurative), and yet also have
an abstract quality
Photo by Paul Strand

6. 6
Photo by Andreas
Gursky
This is a photograph of a
motor race track in
Bahrain.
The pattern created by the
track produces an abstract
quality to the image – do
you agree or disagree?

7. Sometimes, the
secret to
creating a true
abstract image
is in the
cropping – what
do you leave
out and why?
7

8. 8
When you view a completely abstract image it is usually
meaningless to ask “what is it of?”
Many people today still believe that to qualify as ‘Art’,
an image or artwork must be representational – it must
be of something found in the physical world.
In the second half of the 19th century some artists
began to break free of this constraint, attempting to
produce art which was less of and more about the
subject.

9. 9
JMW Turner, Rain, steam and speed, 1844

10. 10
Claude Monet, Water Lillies, 1915-26

11. 11
Photographers in the 1920’s
started experimenting with the
camera’s ability to ‘see’ in new
and exciting ways (using
startling viewpoints, close-ups,
radical framing and so on).
They allowed photography to
revel in those aspects of the
medium which made it different
to other artistic media, rather
than trying to make their
photographs appear like other
forms of art, such as painting.
Photo by Steichen

12. 12
Photographs by Edward Weston

13. 13
Photo by
John
Baldessari
Abstract or
representatio
nal or …. a
bit of both?

14. 14
Photo by Shomei
Tomatsu
How would you
describe this image
…
Is it ‘of’ anything?
Is it
representational or
abstract?

15. 15
Photographs by Wolfgang Tillmans

16. 16
What are the essential differences
between representational and
abstract art/photography?
What might abstract photographs
be good for? What response do
you think they require or ask for?

17. Abstract Photography

18. There are no rules!
• Abstract photography is unlike most other
types of photography - rules, such as
composition and accurate focusing hold
no values.
• The abstract photographer uses his/her
creative imagination to create stunning
works of art.

20. • Abstract photography is not necessarily
going to mean the same thing to everyone.
• Abstract photography leaves more to the
imagination and helps us concentrate on
texture, pattern and colour rather than
the whole subject.

21. • Abstract photography is a process of using
colors and patterns combined to create
an image, with no true meaning or no
clear subject involved.

22. Things to think about:
• Subject
• Lighting and shadows
• Perspective or point-of-view
• Focus
• Shapes and patterns
• Colours
• Cropping - if you can’t get close enough with
the camera… you can crop in Photoshop
later

23. • We all know the importance of light when
taking a photograph, but how can we use
it creatively?

24. • When your focus is contrast edit into black
and white to add a more defined
dimension.

25. • Change your perspective and the world
looks very different!

26. • Using a slow shutter speed while
shooting will change a regular image into
abstract .

27. • The trick to keeping abstract photography
attractive when using your cameras'
shutter is to crop tightly. Fill the view
finder with the blur image.

28. Macro abstracts should be cropped tightly
and the image could have a theme of colour
or texture.

30. Objective
• Look at objects in detail by eliminating
backgrounds and focusing on the essence
of a subject
• Study and analyze composition, lighting,
focus, shapes and patterns to create
exciting and unusual images
• Break down your subjects capturing only
the details and end with images that no
longer represent the original form