ART IN THE NET: Certain Paths of Abstraction

We can’t imagine anything that we haven’t somehow seen, that we haven’t thought of. Simple as that. So absolute abstraction is an impossibility. In both life and art. Look at this work by one of the great masters of abstract painting in Cuba: Antonio Vidal. It’s not necessary to have an extraordinary capacity of observation to discover very specific elements: Vessels. A frying pan. Or a spoon. A gastronomic spirit is glimpsed in this piece. That may be an answer for those who always want to know "what did the artist mean."

Whatever he wanted to say - or even, even if he didn't mean anything explicit - Vidal made art. Because art is feeling and heartbeat. And in this framework there’s an intensity, a drive, a contrast that makes it transcend the apparent silence of the shapes. This work communicates. It’s not necessary to understand exactly what tells us, it’s necessary to see how that which is communicated influences us.

There are other people who look at a work like that and say: "I can paint that myself." Well go ahead and paint it. Express yourself. Show yourself.

Another thing is that he manages to move whoever stands in front of his work. That is what differentiates a good abstract painting from a few simple stains on the wall. There’s life in art. And we could all learn to discover it.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff