Abstract: 8yd Trash Only

Is a collage an abstract?

If something is recognizable, it’s not really abstract. Abstraction come from within. The viewer might see something in it, but it’s not suppose to be recognizable. Much like a Rorschach test, different people will see different things.

But what about a collage of recognizable things?

I feel a collection of recognizable things can become an abstraction. Rauschenberg’s photo collages are more than just the individual photos that make them up, for instance. So in a way, cobbling together found object, such as photos, can make them into abstraction.

But what about this photo? It’s really the side of a dumpster with some signs on it, but I certainly don’t want the viewer to just see it that way. If you look beyond the signs and the side of the dumpster, there are seemly abstract scratches and, even, Pat Steir-style drippings.

So can the sum of real life objects become abstractions? For me, I’d say yes.