Having been somewhat abstracted of late, I thought some rather more abstract images might be appropriate for this post. All these photos I took in the garden during the past few weeks.
In art and photography abstracts tend to be less associated with the concretely representational. There are no hard and fast rules or definitive definitions, but abstracts deal more with patterns and forms, relationships between lines, shapes, textures, colours and contrasts, rather than with any realistic depiction.
The image above is of a butterfly chrysalis catching a sunbeam while on the shady underside of a leaf. It is not a particularly abstract abstract, and perhaps it also has elements of symbolism – is a chrysalis a butterfly or the idea of a butterfly, an abstract of a butterfly in waiting?
In the most abstract of abstracts the image might bear no discernible relationship to anything recognizable, but also in the spectrum are abstract images that highlight aspects of something in a fresh way perhaps by not depicting the whole or by emphasizing characteristics that might be divorced from the whole.
So, as I said, I have been abstracted of late, but in saying that I realise I am not really sure what I mean. According to the dictionary, when I say I have been abstracted, I mean I have been withdrawn in mind and inattentive to my surroundings (Merriam-Webster online dictionary).
Well that is true up to a point. But I have not been so abstracted that I could not make coffee, or a simple supper, or wander round the garden with a camera, even though the images I took tended more towards the … abstract.
Sometimes when I look at a word or think about it too intensely it oscillates in shape and meaning, a bit like one of those optical illusions. For example, in the image below, is the book open towards you or away from you?
To help me gain definition, I looked up ‘abstract’ (adjective) in the Online Etymology Dictionary. The original usage of the word was as a grammatical term “in reference to certain nouns that do not name concrete things” and it dates from the late 14th century. The word is also used figuratively.
‘Abstract’ derives from the “Latin abstractus, which means ‘drawn away’, the past participle of abstrahere ‘to drag away, detach, pull away, divert’”. To break the word down, ab means ‘off, away from’, and trahere means ‘to draw’ (as in drag or move).
And there’s more. In philosophy, ‘abstract’ has been in use from the mid-15th century to mean “‘withdrawn or separated from material objects or practical matters’ (opposed to concrete)”. And a further meaning, “that of ‘difficult to understand, abstruse’” dates from around 1400. Its usage in the fine arts is far more recent. By 1914, in modern art ‘abstract’ denotes “characterized by lack of representational qualities”.
So literally, to be abstracted means to be drawn away from, with the additional insight from the original usage denoting words drawn away from concrete things.
Being somewhat abstracted, I could not decide whether to post colour images or only black-and-white images, so resulting from such an irresolute state there are both. And given that the images are more or less abstract, there are no captions.
Posted by Carol
May 14, 2019 at 1:00 am
Wow…these are stunning! The patterns are wonderful. More, please? If you have time.😊
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May 15, 2019 at 7:34 pm
Thank you very much and I don’t need much encouragement to continue being abstracted 🙂 So likely I will experiment some more and see what happens.
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May 13, 2019 at 8:54 pm
I like tour abstract viewpoint. Maybe in the abstract there is a freedom to create and discover in the in between space of attached and detached, present and withdrawn. There’s joy and enthusiasm in these photos. I like them a lot. Whether your abstract approach is intentional or not, it sounds liberating to set aside the things not abstract or less abstract and to forego naming what you discover? I think it’s an approach I might try in my writing sometime. Thanks for sharing in and from your abstracted place.
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May 15, 2019 at 7:27 pm
Thank you Cheryl. It is interesting to see it as an intermediate space with its own freedoms and a different kind of awareness. I wonder how it might apply also to writing – might be liberating as you say.
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May 13, 2019 at 6:31 am
A thoroughly enjoyable abstract departure from your more common style. Sadly it seems as though I’m abstracted from blogging of late. Hopefully summer will bring me back to my senses once more. 🤔
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May 13, 2019 at 7:54 pm
Thanks Gunta. Probably true that a break is as good as a holiday. I look forward to seeing what summer brings to the blogging part of all that you do and enjoy.
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May 11, 2019 at 6:22 am
A great selection of images. My first response to abstract images is to try and figure out what they are. But, whether I succeed or not, there follows an appreciation for letting that quest for identity go and just enjoying the lines or colors or whatever the abstract puts forth.
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May 11, 2019 at 6:36 pm
Thank you Graham. Yes there can be a kind of mystery object dimension to some abstract nature photography.
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May 10, 2019 at 6:37 pm
Oh my gosh, those spider paws! 😬They give me the creeps but wow, your photography is stunning! 😀 Maybe it’s good to be “abstracted”
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May 10, 2019 at 8:11 pm
Thanks very much, and being abstracted can have interesting spin-offs 🙂
I am intrigued by your comment about the spider paws and wonder which photo you mean?
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May 11, 2019 at 5:01 am
The orange one (4th pic), what is it? A plant? 😊
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May 11, 2019 at 5:25 am
Looking at the pic again I can see how it looks spiderlike. So interesting when robbed of context how things can appear to be something else. But yes you are right, in fact it is a plant – some petals of a flower of Leonotis leonurus, aka Lion’s Ear or Wild Dagga. I have also seen it referred to as Lion’s Tail but from now on I will think of it as Spider’s Paw 😊
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May 11, 2019 at 8:23 am
Hahah! Great 🤗🤗🤗
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May 10, 2019 at 3:58 pm
Brilliantly done! I love nature, and I love abstract art, so this post is just a joy.
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May 10, 2019 at 7:53 pm
How nice it is to have two things one enjoys brought together. It is an interesting combination. Thanks so much for your kind comment MPP.
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May 10, 2019 at 12:56 pm
Lovely. You inspire me to look for some abstracts.
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May 10, 2019 at 7:49 pm
Thank you very much Sherry. I hope you have some fun with the camera while discovering some abstract images.
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May 10, 2019 at 11:08 am
I agree totally with the first comment. I have never thinking about the different/ comprehensive meaning of abstract. I see something that fascinates me and let my imagination run wild.
The more the result moves away from the actual motif and instead concentrates on its intellectual content, the more abstract the result is for me. If, on the other hand, you can still tell from the picture what the motif is, the patterns and forms are more in the foreground for me.
Anyway, a nice selection of pictures you show!
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May 10, 2019 at 7:47 pm
Thank you Simone. That is an interesting distinction you draw between the intellectual content of the more abstract image, and the patterns and forms of the more recognizable image.
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May 10, 2019 at 10:18 am
I feel we all need those periods of abstraction when our minds let go of thoughts or ways of being that had become our focus. In my experience it’s usually a transition phase, a form of natural healing or giving ourselves permission to space to just ‘be’. Either way, losing focus is a wonderful state to be in, an opportunity to gain fresh perspective on our lives and the world around us with fresh eyes. Enjoy your abstraction while it lasts and may your and your camera continue to revel in it!
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May 10, 2019 at 7:14 pm
Thanks very much Theresa for your kind thoughts and perceptive insights. I agree there can be elements of healing, transitioning and renewal possible during periods of abstraction, even though at the time it may seem like just a respite. Perhaps it may even be more like a chemical-free version of tune in, turn on, drop out 🙂
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May 10, 2019 at 9:17 am
Great post and wonderful shots. I shall reflect on these various facets of abstraction; I know I can count myself in there frequently. When it comes to abstract images, I respond with an emotion. Often these images are easier to relate to for that reason than representational ones, and certainly they allow the viewer to participate more freely and more individually. With the series of images you’ve given us today, Carol, I have a unifying emotional response: awe 🙂
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May 10, 2019 at 6:48 pm
Thanks Sandra! That is such an interesting insight that abstract images allow the viewer to participate more. The logical converse is also interesting – that realistic representations also represent control, not only over the subject but also over the viewer. Food for thought …
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May 10, 2019 at 8:56 am
Beauty at its best, that is nature in a nutshell and you have done a marvelous job with your abstract photographs, Carol. Thanks for this awesome share.
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May 10, 2019 at 2:13 pm
Thanks very much for your generous remarks, Kamal.
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May 10, 2019 at 3:34 pm
Welcome dear always
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May 10, 2019 at 7:20 am
An unusual and interesting read accompanied by a wonderful array of photographs.
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May 10, 2019 at 2:13 pm
Thanks very much Anne.
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May 10, 2019 at 3:41 am
Carol these photographs are superb, truly wonderful! Paradoxically I would say you were extremely focused! My favourite is the butterfly chrysalis. xxx
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May 10, 2019 at 2:09 pm
Thank you Christine. Yes it is an interesting paradox. Awareness is a strange thing – as is focus – and the relationship between them is complex and dynamic. I dithered about including the butterfly chrysalis, as it is stretching the concept of ‘abstract’ at bit, but it is very open to interpretation I think. There was something rather magical about the way the sunbeam illuminated it.
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May 10, 2019 at 2:37 am
The world looks so different when we look at it on a different scale!
Beautiful images, Carol, as always.
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May 10, 2019 at 2:05 pm
Yes, and there are many different ways of looking at the world! Thanks very much.
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May 9, 2019 at 9:26 pm
These are fantastic pics 🙂
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May 10, 2019 at 2:04 pm
Thanks very much MB.
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May 9, 2019 at 9:22 pm
These are wonderful and beautiful images, Carol. The furled fiddlehead and gilled mushrooms are my favorites.
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May 10, 2019 at 2:03 pm
Thanks very much Eliza. I like those two images too. Even though they are not the most abstract of the bunch, the patterns and shapes do predominate.
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May 9, 2019 at 8:17 pm
What an interesting post! Thank you for allowing your mind to go for a walk, a wander and supply us with these thoughts and a good many images worth returning to. I was going to tell you my favourite … then realised I couldn’t …. I hope your abstracted frame of mind isn’t due to worries, and that being abstracted continues to fuel your creativity.
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May 10, 2019 at 2:01 pm
Thanks Margaret. It is interesting that being abstracted enabled me to try something a bit different and somewhat whimsical,
Thanks for your concern – we do have some worries (who doesn’t?) but nothing too major fortunately.
A recent development is sudden complicated dog politics between two of our three dogs that needs careful stage management, and then the youngest had an inexplicable and incredibly painful partial hip dislocation, so now she needs several weeks’ of managed rest, on top of the already complicated dynamic. Anyway, fingers crossed it will heal. Next X-rays are due next week.
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May 10, 2019 at 3:59 pm
Oh good luck with all that. I didn’t realise that dogs could be sensitive young plants till recently, when my daughter’s dog became jealous. He has a particular friend in a neighbout who often takes him for walks, and when said neighbour’s daughter came to live with him for a while he became insane with jealousy. Nobody else is allowed to love Mike! Hope your situations are more easily resolved.
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May 10, 2019 at 8:05 pm
That kind of jealousy is remarkable. One consolation is that the dog does not live in the same household, I suppose. Our dogs have been such good pals so it was a shock when our newest and youngest rescued dog decided, after 7 months of harmony, now that she is maturing (at about 14 months old) to take a strong dislike (for want of a better word) to the older female dog. Change was unexpected, without warning, rapid and violent. So we are having to keep them separate unless supervised. Not sure how all of this will pan out, but all in limbo now while her hip injury heals. Thanks for your good wishes.
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May 11, 2019 at 9:15 am
Oh good luck. It sonds a bit fraught.
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May 11, 2019 at 6:46 pm
Thanks!
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May 9, 2019 at 8:01 pm
One sees different features in a black & white image when compared with a coloured version.
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May 10, 2019 at 1:53 pm
Yes, its strange how differently one responds even to the same image in b&w compared to it in colour. With the images in this post I made some difficult choices regarding which to do in b&w, although of course some of them depended on being in colour.
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