Reading Abstract Art? People Feel So Many Things Even When They Swear They “Don’t Get It”
That Moment in Front of the Canvas
Have you ever stood in front of a giant canvas covered in wild splashes of color, random shapes, and what looks like someone just went to town with a paint roller… and felt something?
Maybe a rush of joy.
A pang of confusion.
Or a quiet “wait… I actually love this.”
And then immediately thought:
“But I’m not supposed to like this. I don’t understand it.”
You’re not alone.
In fact, you’re exactly who abstract art was waiting for.
✦ A Late-Night Spark
I just watched a wonderful little video by The Art Assignment called “Why Abstract Art?”
(Here’s the link if you have a few minutes and want to learn more:
https://youtu.be/jVzyY5X2wXs)
And I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
So this is my love letter to everyone who secretly (or not-so-secretly) feels something when they see a Rothko, a Pollock, or a soulful scribble by Cy Twombly.
Let’s talk about it — no art history degree required.
✦ The Big Myth We All Grew Up With
You’ve heard it before:
“Abstract art is just random.”
“Anyone could do that.”
“My kid could paint that.”
Sweetheart — your kid probably couldn’t.
And even if they did, it wouldn’t hit you in the chest the way a real one does.
✦ What Abstract Art Is Actually Doing
Abstract art isn’t about making something look like a tree or a face.
It’s about making you feel the feeling of being alive.
Color, shape, texture, and movement become the language when words fall short.
Think of it like instrumental music.
When a song with no lyrics suddenly makes you cry in the car — that’s abstract art’s cousin.
Same magic.
Different medium.
Light-Bulb Moments (From the Video and My Own Heart)
✦ Wassily Kandinsky Heard Colors
He had synesthesia and believed each color made its own sound.
His paintings are symphonies you can see — music you can walk into.
✦ Mark Rothko Wanted You to Cry
Those massive, soft-edged rectangles were meant to be experienced up close.
People have literally wept in front of his work.
That was the point.
✦ Jackson Pollock Was Dancing
Those drips were made with his whole body moving around the canvas.
The painting is frozen energy — a record of someone fully alive in a moment.
✦ Hilma af Klint Was There First
Long before the famous men, she was painting huge spiritual abstractions, guided (she believed) by unseen forces.
The art world is only now catching up.
So What If You “Don’t Get It”?
You don’t have to get it like a math problem.
You’re allowed to just feel it.
Next time, try asking yourself three small questions:
What color am I drawn to first?
Is my breathing changing?
If this painting were a song, what would it sound like?
That’s it.
There is no hidden meaning you’re too dumb to find.
The meaning is whatever is happening inside your body right now.
A Gentle Invitation
Next time you’re at a museum — or even scrolling Instagram — and an abstract piece stops your thumb:
Pause.
Let it be weird.
Let it be beautiful.
Let it make you feel something you don’t have a name for.
Because that unnamed feeling?
That’s the entire point.
Abstract art isn’t here to be solved.
It’s here to remind you that you’re a feeling creature in a wild, colorful world.
And that’s more than enough.
A Small Challenge (If You’re Curious)
If you want to fall a little in love with abstract art today, watch the video.
It feels like a warm hug from someone excited to share their favorite secret.
Then tell me in the comments:
Which painting has ever made you feel the most… something?
Fun little challenge:
Screenshot an abstract piece, print it small, and stick it on your fridge for a week.
Live with it.
Nine times out of ten, it becomes your favorite thing in the room.
And if you’re brave:
Grab cheap acrylics or even kids’ markers and make your own terrible/beautiful abstract piece.
No rules.
Just mood.
I swear — the world needs exactly that from you right now.
Sincerely, Andrea Kimberley ♡
