Abstract art has been around since the beginning of time. The ruins of ancient civilizations tell us that people used this form of art in their rock paintings, inscriptions, textiles, and pottery. These were mostly lines, shapes, and other simple forms that were either used as symbols or simply as decorations. Though, we may not understand the meaning or the theme, we have enjoyed such works of art for centuries. Some such works include the scripts used in the Islamic world and the calligraphy used in China, both of which look good even if we don’t know how to read them.

The rules in abstract art are dependent on the artist, meaning there are none

Picasso - Cubism 1937

 other than those created by the artist. As a result, the styles vary with the artists. However, through history, despite the countless artists and their styles, three styles seem to have gained prominence over time. These styles namely, Abstract Expressionism, Neoplasticism and Cubism, were endorsed by the well-known masters and therefore are more known than the others.

Cubism was born in 1908 and lasted until about 1920s. This was the period where artists like Francis Picabia and Fernand Leger were born. Cubism was more about analyzing the various geometrical views of the object. All these views were grouped together in an imaginative fashion. This is one of the more modern forms of abstract art.

The era of Neoplasticism was governed by the basic principle that the real world or objects should not be reflected in art. The artists were more focused on expressing the life absolutes that were the primary colors, horizontal and vertical lines. Artists such as Theo van Doesburg popularized this era.

Jackson Pollack, the “action painter” is a well known artist of the era of abstract expressionism. This era was more about spontaneity, brush strokes and colors. Artists like him would create their paintings by dripping and pouring paint on the canvas.