Abstraction in Representational Art

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Mini-Tutorial: Abstraction in Representational Art

by Michael Newberry

NOTE FROM MSK: The actual tutorial has been removed at the request of Michael Newberry. The link to the tutorial on his site remains in the title above. I highly recommend you go there and go through it. Here is a small quote from it:

Rembrandt, The Little Children Being Brought to Jesus ("The 100 Guilder Print"), 1647-49, etching and drypoint

Abstraction is one of the most important tools in an artist's arsenal--it groups together masses of visual information into a cohesive whole, enabling the viewer to "see the forest through the trees." Abstraction is a powerful guide. It allows the viewers to take in small details, while simultaneously keeping their attention on the larger panoramic picture.