emerged in the early 1910s, the movement ****marks a radical departure from traditional figurative representation. Instead of depicting recognizable objects, landscapes, or people, abstract art emphasizes the use of shapes, colors, lines, & forms that may not directly reference the visible world. This movement aimed to distill the essence of artistic expression to its most basic, universal elements, transcending realism to explore more profound emotional, spiritual & intellectual engagements.
Pioneers of this style believed that art should reflect inner states or ideas, not just the material world. Artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, widely regarded as one of the first creators of purely abstract works, explored non-objective forms as a way to evoke spiritual experiences.