My Mixed Feelings On Abstract Art Paintings

I have been a great lover of art since I was a child, and my likes are many and diverse. I do tend to struggle a bit more, however, with abstract art paintings, because I think sometimes the artists that create them are trying to be too clever. I will not say that I dislike abstract art paintings as a whole, but I would say that my feelings toward them are somewhat mixed.

I remember making a trip to our local museum of modern art, which houses numerous abstract art paintings. This was a few years ago, and I decided to go because I had always appreciated representational art work, but had struggled to understand abstract work. I think what bothered me the most is that I always felt one had to know about the artist himself in order to get the meaning behind the work when it came to abstract art paintings, and quite honestly, that was not always possible.

I hate the idea of art for art's sake, and I really don't like thinking that people are becoming wealthy by making art that they refuse to explain. How do we know they even meant anything at all, for instance, and aren't just laughing at us behind our backs. I also hate the idea of people getting rich off of their reputations, which it seems that artists that create abstract art paintings would be more likely to do. I am not accusing any artist of doing this, but because it is abstract and because many will not explain their work, one never really knows for certain.

On the other hand, I have encountered abstract art paintings that have really moved me to the point of tears. I remember one such painting that was meant to represent a family attending the burial of a young boy. I really can't explain why I got this painting immediately, but I did. I felt it, and I went home shortly after viewing it and researched it a bit. I was right on the money on my interpretation of the painting, and it meant so much to me that I could figure it out on my own that it will always hold a special place in my heart.

My feelings are definitely still mixed on abstract art paintings, and I am still not totally convinced that I like them. I have gotten better at interpreting them, I believe, and that does make them more palatable in my book. I don't go to our museum of modern art nearly as often as I go to the museum that houses classic art, but I do enjoy it more than I used to.