Adopt the peace in nature: her secret is patience
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today I did just that; I adopted the peace in this beautiful weather. A friend and I went to Nay Aug Park for two reasons, to get off campus and to practice drawing realistically. The work that I am focusing on is more realism, however, there are three categories of art that most people get confused. The first is Representational art, the second is Abstract art, and the third is Non-Objective art.

Representational artwork is art that aims to represent actual objects or subjects from reality. Subcategories under representational art include Realism, Impressionism, Idealism, and Stylization. All of these forms of representational art represent actual subjects from reality. Although some of these forms are taking steps toward abstraction, they still fall under the category of representation. Representational art is one of the oldest of the three types of art.

Abstract art is the opposite of representational art. Abstraction aims to take subjects from reality but present them in way that is different from the way they are viewed in our reality. This may take the form of emphasizing lines, shapes, or colors that transform the subject. Abstract art includes the subcategories of Minimalism, Cubism, and Precisionism. Abstraction can also happen when the artist decides to view subjects in a non-traditional manner.

Non-Objective art takes nothing from reality. It is created purely for aesthetic reasons. The intent of Non-Objective art is to use the elements and principles of art in a way that results in a visually stimulating work. This is type of art is often mistaken for Abstract art although it is entirely different from it.

Today we were practicing creating representational artwork that aims to represent actual objects from nature. It’s always important to draw what you see in representational artwork and take the time out of your busy schedule to do something for just for yourself. Something every artist should do is take the time in nature and draw in your sketchbook.