Overlapped abstraction

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.- Scott Adams

“Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” — Jimmy Carter

"Mistakes are not failures but rather opportunities in DISGUISE"- ANONYMOUS

Consider these quotes. What do you think they mean? Choose one and in three or more sentences interpret in your words what you believe them to say and WHY.

Abstraction: what do you see?

look at the artwork to the right. What is the first think you see? a color, shape etc.

Continue to look, does another feature begin to emerge and look now more prominent.

How about after a minute. Treat this like a magic eye and list 10 different things you see in this art?

Overlapping Letter Abstractions by Robert Curry

Strictly speaking, the word abstract means to separate or withdraw. To transform. The term can be applied to art that is based an object, figure or landscape, where forms have been simplified or schematized. It is also applied to art that uses forms, such as geometric shapes or gestural marks, which have no source at all in an external visual reality.

An example of Abstract art was the orphism art movement in 1912. Orphism or Orphic Cubism, was an offshoot of Cubism that focused on pure abstraction and bright colors. As one of the earliest styles to approach complete abstraction, Orphism brought together pure colors and shapes to t immersed the viewer in dynamic expanses of rhythmic form and chromatic scales

Artist Robert Curry created a number of abstract artworks of overlapped letters that appears to be a modern take on Orphism. What is unique about his work is that he takes "recognizable" letters and numbers and overlaps them so many times that they become abstract and even begin to resemble other things. The multitude of positive and negative space combine to create new forms. Some are purposeful and some are happy accidents. This is a great example of those quotes above.

Mrs Ras's artwork

Assignment

project: Like the artworks above create an abstract balanced composition using overlapping letters in various colors, transparencies and fonts.

Project objectives