Paths to abstraction

We went to the Art Gallery of NSW yesterday to see their new big exhibition called Paths to Abstraction. It only started last week, so we thought it might be a bit crowded, but it was fine.

The exhibition was great. We arrived shortly before midday, and there was a free tour starting at noon. So we joined the tour, taken by one of the volunteer guides. It was really interesting, and my youngest daughter was quite taken with it. Being young and therefore short, she moved to the front of the “mob” wherever we went, so that she could see what the lady was talking about. Quite often she wanted me to go with her, so I did a lot of crouching down and walking with bent legs, so as not to upset other people! I’m not sure how much she understood, but she clearly loved looking at all the pictures, as she stayed interested right to the end of the one hour tour.

Because the exhibition was “paths to abstraction” there was actually very little abstract art in it, as it was about the journey towards abstraction, from fully recognisable subjects, to completely abstract ones.

I learnt that when Kandinsky first saw Monet’s haystacks, he didn’t know what a haystack was, so to him, he was seeing strange shapes within Monet’s landscapes, rather than objects. This is what started him towards abstraction.

The standout painting in the whole exhibition for me was Kupka’s “Discs of Newton”, which I loved for its play with colour. I know why my daughter loves rainbows so much – probably because she’s a lot like her mum!

If you’re in Sydney, do go and see the exhibition. Its on until 19th September.