If you're an art collector, you would know what lines and strokes are in a painting. You would know what a figurative style of painting or what is an abstract form of painting is. But beyond this, do you see the relation between your brain and art? Do you know how your brain perceives art, and what makes your tickle with imagination?
The relation between art and the brain?
If only you have that part of the brain evoked and functioning, you would know what art could stir in the nerves of your mind. Since class 6, we are taught about the different parts of our body, their functions, their shapes, and whatnot. We also learn that our brain functions with its two hemispheres. For our everyday cognitive thinking, decision-making, language, speaking, arithmetic, reading or writing our left hemisphere is responsible.
Our left hemisphere does all the necessary critical thinking for us while lacking the ability to think creatively, this then is supported by our right region which recognizes colours, lines, shapes, and functions on our imagination. As human beings, if we only utilize our left side of the brain, we will become dull with time, and an active mind makes sure you have creative juices flowing in you so that there is zeal in life.
How to expose yourself to creativity?
But in our hectic everyday lives where we are stuck looking at presentations, graphs, excel sheets throughout the day, where will you find your time in keeping your creative side of the brain active and running?
To keep the engine of our right brain running, we need colours, shapes, a canvas where we can let our inner child be left loose with nothing but your imagination. This will not only impact the utility of your brain but will also enhance the quality of the work you are producing. By exposing yourself to art and creativity, you will unleash a side that you never thought existed in the first place. And one of the most beautiful ways of doing this is by indulging in modern abstract painting.
The world of modern abstract painting will help you unlock your imagination with its unnatural form. This form of paintings allows you to think beyond the boundaries of a canvas and the paint on it. Your imagination is left free with its unsymmetrical and radical form.
That’s the beauty of abstract paintings; there is no symbolic form set by the artist. His imagination and the canvas are all that you see in the final product; however, you are free to imagine anything, whichever direction your imagination takes the painting follows. It's like water, taking the shape of every container it's been put in, and it is thus, the purest form of art to rejuvenate the right hemisphere or your right brain.
Relationship between Science and Abstract Paintings
Even scientist have proven that engaging your mind in abstract paintings helps you exercise your creativity while the freedom of unrestricted imagination enables you to see beyond a standard picture or scenario.
If you ever get acquainted with an abstract painting artist, you will know how open to ideas; they are due to this art. The free-flowing nature of this art helps you overlook the surface and go deep within the painting, unravelling your creativity and imagination out in the open.
Modern-day Abstractionists
Mark Rothko, Dan Flavin, Willem de Kooning are some of the best know abstractionists in the world, and after viewing their work there wouldn’t be any figurative painting that will urge you to think beyond the frame of the canvas. Their work speaks volumes about creativity, allowing their viewer to have the power of picking a narrative of their choice and justify the creation.
In India also, there are a lot of modern-day contemporary artists, like S.H Raza, Ram Kumar, M.F. Hussain, all of them maestros of their art and storytellers of progressive time. Taking example of M.F Hussain, his paintings lacked a shape, they were fluid and could easily encapsulate into any narrative, be it even one it was one of his famous Horse paintings wherein the horses could have been protagonists to any story due to the ability of the viewer’s imagination from their right hemisphere of the brain.
Top benefits of abstract painting
Right off the top is the fact that this art form challenges our brain, and as per nature, we love thriving in a challenging situation, we want to come out even more energetic after a challenge. And so, when we observe an abstract art piece, we tend to view it as a puzzle and then tries to put them together to make sense out of it. This results in building a more robust imagination, and that even helps you open the chained doors of creativity within yourself.
Another one would be it enhances your cognitive skills and helps you become better at problem-solving in everyday life. Therefore, it not supports the growth of your right brain but also strengthens the abilities of your left brain.
How to begin your creative journey?
While there are many books that support figurative drawings like the adult mandala books and other materials as well have been in the market since the beginning. But what you really need to understand is that you will need nothing more than a plain paper, some colours of your choice and your right brain.
And another added bonus to abstract painting is that you do not have to outdo yourself, you can let your imagination fly because every piece you will paint will be a masterpiece in itself. Doing this once a week will give you so much joy and relaxation that it will soon turn into an everyday stress reliever.
Useful simulations in your right brain enable your left brain to function better and be in a healthy condition. Moreover, it takes nothing, it only demands your vested interest, and the abstract world of painting then becomes your favourite companion.
Mark Rothko, Dan Flavin, Willem de Kooning are some of the best know abstractionists in the world, and after viewing their work there wouldn’t be any figurative painting that will urge you to think beyond the frame of the canvas. Their work speaks volumes about creativity, allowing their viewer to have the power of picking a narrative of their choice and justify the creation.
