What is Abstract Art?

Abstract art can be divided broadly into two categories: Art work that attempts to depict objects using lines, shape or colour often in an unconventional or non-realistic way and art work that does not represent any object. Abstract art is often described as non-representational or non-figurative art. It can convey feelings of emotions and provoke conversation. 

My background from an educational point of view is science and engineering and this has impacted my appreciation of art. I am interested in the interface between abstract art, science, engineering and technology and what drives various art forms, from understanding and appreciation to evoking emotional feeling. Although the impacts of Science and Engineering on Art are often clearly represented, the reciprical effect is less appreciated and possibly harder to define or observe. The problem of quantifying the effect of Art on Science is multifold and arises because of the lack of scientific appreciation on say emotions and understanding; ultimately leading onto the need for deeper visual and cognitive research and its relationship with thought itself to gain understanding.  Another factor that limits progression in this sense is that many Artists are not trained in Science and so possibly cannot represent scientific perspective of their work or possible future directions of science. Scientists and engineers are not trained in art and are often less interested in art and usually do not seek scientific inspiration from such sources. This lack of appreciation of each side of the fence is almost natural due to the brain’s structure but perhaps limiting to both fields. These barriers need to be broken.