4/6 The Rules Of Abstraction With Matthew Collings

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Published 2014-09-11

• 1/6 The Rules Of Abstraction With Mat...
First broadcast: Sep 2014.
Documentary in which painter and critic Matthew Collings charts the rise of abstract art over the last 100 years, whilst trying to answer a set of basic questions that many people have about this often-baffling art form. How do we respond to abstract art when we see it? Is it supposed to be hard or easy? When abstract artists chuck paint about with abandon, what does it mean? Does abstract art stand for something or is it supposed to be understood as just itself?

These might be thought of as unanswerable questions, but by looking at key historical figures and exploring the private world of abstract artists today, Collings shows that there are, in fact, answers.

Living artists in the programme create art in front of the camera using techniques that seem outrageously free, but through his friendly-yet-probing interview style Collings immediately establishes that the work always has a firm rationale. When Collings visits 92-year-old Bert Irvin in his studio in Stepney, east London he finds that the colourful works continue experiments in perceptual ideas about colour and space first established by abstract art pioneers such as Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky in the 1910s.

Other historic artists featured in the programme include the notorious Jackson Pollock, the maker of drip paintings, and Mark Rothko, whose abstractions often consist of nothing but large expanses of red. Collings explains the inner structure of such works. It turns out there are hidden rules to abstraction that viewers of this intriguing, groundbreaking programme may never have expected.

All Comments (21)

@ezeeart434 1 year ago

This is one of the best series of abstract art I have seen. Matthew Collins did a marvellous job in this programme. Abstract art may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s most certainly mine. Wonderful explanation of abstract art in as simple terms as possible. Abstract art is still misunderstood, but I love it.
@christopherwalker1761 3 years ago

I believe that this series is absolutely brilliant, and one of the very best ever posted on YouTube. Mathew Collings presentation is outstanding. Many, many thanks.
@bethbartlett5692 6 months ago

Matthew Collings is very well studied and comprehended in the subjects he infuses for defining amd explaining this content. He communicates, teaches, explains, in a most premium fashion, in this Documentary. An extremely good job, and it is further enhanced by his speaking rhythm and tone, offering an ease and easy listen. Appreciating this content.
@cindyleong3236 4 years ago

Loved this - " Purely abstract painting is more true to the real reality that lies behind everything than a painting that attempts to capture aspects of the illusion version of that higher reality."
@calvingrondahl1011 4 years ago

A difficult view of art to explain is brilliantly done by Matthew Collings and these other artists, beautiful mood music too.
@christinemacmacleod4880 5 years ago

Thank you. Excellent series.
@beverlywentworth827 7 years ago

I'm not an artist but one who loves art and this is absolutely brilliant!!
@aatt3209 4 years ago

be true to the real reality......while we are possibly facing the end of humanity due to abrupt climate change, abstract art makes me feel more alive than ever, thank you so much for producing this fabulous series on abstraction.
@theviewer5104 2 years ago

loved the "wrong" cut in the video in 03:40 a second before her papers about to slip from the table :)
@JennyJardin 8 years ago

Very interesting and worth watching.
@PopCultureFridays 4 years ago

This is such a great doc! Thank you for putting it up.
@alrenefischer4481 2 years ago

You teach me soo much thank you Matthewx
@parviznaseri7800 7 years ago

absolutely great you give all artist depth & reminder of art essence & essential. forgive some ignorant may watching your video.
@ianwimbles1440 3 years ago

Great film Matthew your passion for art always shows!one gripe there are a lot of charlatans making a lot money for what is basically abstract by numbers, and you had one whose work was just potboiler art and she was talking her art into being relevant whereas I call it ikea art!shows it true that it’s who you know not what you can do more so in the art world so up its wealthy people only allowed attitude
@aprilwood2780 5 years ago

Love Tess Jaray's work.
@TaylorMade511 6 years ago

Brilliant. -
@brisvegas859 6 years ago

a true artist creates because life becomes so mundane that the artist must create something which has never existed before, for they are the true visionaries of society
@1oolabob 2 years ago

I'm getting a lot from this series about abstract art as far as developing my eye for abstract art and developing my ways to create abstract art...but I am eagerly awaiting a part of this series that is not all about theosophy, which seems to me a theory of illusion, and counterproductive as a theory of how to make, see, or get any real, live value from an experience of art. I am here to learn about art, but not to take on spiritual dogma. There's useful stuff here that is partially concealed by the spiritual dogma that I have to scrape off of my mental canvas before I can make use of the information.
@tomasfeehan4639 7 years ago

lovely bit of music at the end of this video,does anyone have the title of it??
@siyubai9684 5 years ago

Does anyone know the song at 8'05'' ? I've tried to use SoundHound and Shazam but got nothing. Many thanks!