I used to hate abstract art. Something about its randomness never clicked with me. While walking through art museums, my eyes always gravitated to portraits where I could feel the emotions expressed on the character's face. Artists who depict the human body with such tenderness have brought on tears. A few days ago, my entire perception changed.
While on a spontaneous outing to the Cleveland Museum of Art, I ran around like a madwoman. I was so excited to take in the paintings I love all over again, since Covid kept me from them for so long. The European painting section has always been my favorite. In addition, one of my favorite secrets of the art museum is surrounded by the statue of Terpsichore Lyran. If two people stand in opposite corners and whisper, you can hear their voices coming from behind your ears. The way the room is shaped allows for the most scandalous conversations. Strolling through, it was time to approach the modern art section. I have nothing against modern art, per se. I am fascinated by Picasso, as well as Monet. However, it never struck the same chord with me. That was until I turned around the white corner wall.
The image, large and great, assaulted me with such emotion, Every stroke, every color, represented my entire mind. I broke down into tears as I traced each inch of the painting with my eyes. As I look at this massive work, I learned what abstract art can mean. The painting was a life. A life where each paint splash came to mind in the exact moment it was created. There was nothing premeditated about it. It was beautiful because it was genuine and pure. No one needed to sit down and explain to me what it was because when you saw the piece you simply knew. The human mind is a difficult thing to describe, more so when attempting to explain emotions. We are a society composed of individuals, even though most of us bend over backward to appear the same as everyone else. However, abstract art cannot pretend to be something it's not. It just occurs naturally, like the mind— like all of us.
