Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
What is the purpose of abstract art?
Position‹2 of 2

Abstract art is the emancipation of the mind

This position holds that abstract art exists to free artist and viewer from the duty of representation: with nothing to identify, the work cannot dictate what it means, and the encounter becomes an exercise of the viewer's own mind.

Supporting arguments · 2

  1. With nothing to identify, the viewer is no longer told what to see
  2. Abstraction breaks the habit of treating a picture as a record