On the Wall: Extracting a dialogue from Toomas Vink-Lainas’ abstract art

VINCENT TEETSOV

It’s tempting, soon after first setting eyes on a work of art, to ask “what is it?” For practical purposes, we train our eyes to make associations from an early age, like when we sprawl out on the grass to look at the shapes of clouds in the sky.

If an artist has decided to be representational, an association is made, followed by an evaluation of whether we enjoy how they have represented a being, place, or object. However, when a work of art, either completed in a loose style or in total abstraction, does not register with viewers’ eyes, how do we talk about it? Let’s not get lost in the tired debate of what art is or isn’t, but rather, determine how we have a real dialogue about what we see.

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Photo: tevag.ca