Colour Abstracts

Helleborus 'Pippa's Purple'

Rhododendron augustinii

I'm very drawn to the colors and composition of #1. Pretty!!

This is nice, but I wouldn't call it an abstract.

Very nice indeed. A feast of color and light.

To be honest Jim, I'm not sure how to define "abstract". Any definition I think of seems to raise as many questions as it answers.

I entitled the thread "colour abstracts" because these pictures have been created by abstracting (in the sense of extracting) the colour component of an image, throwing away the luminance or grey-scale component. Not quite the intended sense of abstract as used in the title of this forum, I know!

However, if they are not "abstract", perhaps the label "creative expression" is more suitable?

I love "colours abstract".
When I first opened the thread I saw it was fitting well your beautiful images 👀

( no need to change - It give the right spirit )

Here's the definition I'm using:

www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/abstract-art#:~:text=Abstract%20art%20is%20art%20that,withdraw%20something%20from%20something%20else.

Link is not working. Here's the meat:

If I can see immediately what the subject is, I don't call it abstract. But some others might do so.

I agree. An abstract image contains no recognisable real-world objects. For instance, the classic paintings by Mondrian are abstracts, while his early paintings of trees are not.
But I do like this pretty picture.
"Imaginative processing" might be a good term.

Don

I think my pictures may indeed fit that description of abstract. They are certainly not an accurate depiction of visual reality. One important aspect of reality has been withdrawn from the images: luminance information.

In most of my pictures made in this way the subject matter is easily recognisable, but in some it is not immediately recognisable. Indeed, I rather doubt that anyone will work out the original subject matter of this one:

Perhaps my favourite photography genre, and the thing I do the most of, is something I struggle to put a name to. I've ended it up calling it something like "Colour abstracts/graphics/design/formal/quirky details". Examples of photos in this style might be Peter Turner's trashcan, a small section of a modern steel and glass building, a patch of rusting metal on a narrow boat, flaking paint, a colourfully painted shed arranged very formally etc etc.

I recently started an overhaul of my website galleries and created lots of separate ones to hold stuff I put into this bucket. Still don't know what to call these subjects, but they are abstracts to me because the subject doesn't matter; it's just an excuse to portray a pattern, lines, curves, colours.

Examples of my own:

As far as I'm concerned, you're right about that.