Thinking Abstract

October Fusion   acrylic on canvas   36" x 48"    J. Plesh

The human mind is a powerful tool. It allows us to remember, to know, to think—particularly, to think abstract thoughts. The definition of abstract is “existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence.” Abstraction tends to be like an iceberg: 90% is in the subconscious and 10% shows up in the conscious mind. We often have no idea what’s going on below the surface.

Mentalists know all about this. They’re not psychics; they just know how to influence people without them realizing it. A mentalist can lead a man to guess that a tie, hidden from sight, is blue with white polka dots. The man thinks that his guess is completely random. And he guesses right! What are the odds? But in reality he was manipulated. The man’s conscious mind didn’t even notice it, but a blue car with white polka dots had passed by, according to plan, before he made his “guess.” (See the show Deception.)

Involuntarily, the mind throws things (like the blue car) into its storage closet as it goes along. Then suddenly, something tells us we can take out one of those items and connect it with something else. There are some items that tend to show up in everybody’s closet and make the same connections. Warmth, power, anger, or perhaps the experience of autumn may all be connected with the color red. Other items are more individual. The memory of a red couch in a childhood home may translate into a feeling of comfort or reminiscence when the person sees red. 

Most of the time we don’t even know this is happening, but abstract paintings can give us an awareness of this process. Maybe we still can’t pinpoint the connection we’ve just made; but as we look at the painting as viewers, or create it as artists, we feel its results. Somehow, the abstract painting has become more real and recognizable to us. Individual meaning crystallizes in our mind, along with our own unique acceptance and appreciation—much of it unarticulated by words. We’re thinking abstract.

Kimberly Landenberg                               Kimberly is a contributing writer for the creativeinsight blog