ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

American Abstract Artists

Okay, kiddo! Let me explain abstract artists to you.

Have you ever seen a painting that looks like a person, a flower, or an animal? Those paintings are what we call "representational art." But, have you ever seen a painting that doesn't look like anything you know? Those are called "abstract art."

Abstract artists are people who make paintings, sculptures, and other forms of art that don't show things we see in real life. They use colors, shapes, lines, and textures to create something that is unique and doesn't represent anything you see around you.

The American abstract artists were a group of artists who started making this type of art in the 1940s and 1950s. They believed that art didn't have to show real things to be beautiful and meaningful. They wanted to focus on the colors, shapes, lines, and textures in their art rather than making art that looked like something we see in real life.

The American abstract artists used different techniques to create their art. Some of them poured paint on large canvases in different colors and let the paint drip and splash around to create interesting patterns. Others used a technique called "hard-edge painting," where they painted bold, sharp lines in bright colors.

Abstract art can be hard to understand because it doesn't show things we see in real life. Some people love it because it allows them to use their imagination and interpret the artwork in their own way. Others find it confusing or even ugly because it doesn't look like anything they know. But, that's the beauty of abstract art – it can be whatever you want it to be!