Can You Float in Pure Abstraction? On Art and Ambiguity

I’ve been thinking about why some people love abstract art while others need to “see something”. My sense is it’s not about intelligence or taste – it’s about comfort with ambiguity. Some of us need an answer. Others enjoy the question.

I hate movies with no clear ending. When a movie ends with no resolution or any kind of explanation, I feel angry and betrayed. I want to see the happy ending, questions answered and problems solved. If I don’t get it, I feel like I wasted time.

Not to say that I don’t enjoy a little bit of mystery and intrigue – some play on imagination can be quite rewarding, as long as there are some hints, some threads for me to follow.

It shows up in learning too. When a concept is explained in pure abstract terms – theories, principles, frameworks – my brain goes fuzzy. But give me a concrete example, and suddenly it clicks. Then I can circle back to the abstract principle and actually understand it.

I know these aren’t perfect comparisons – watching a movie or learning something new isn’t quite the same as standing in front of a painting. But I wonder if there is a pattern here. How much ambiguity can we hold before we need something solid to grab onto?

I experience art in a similar way: a combination of mystery and clear subjects is the most satisfying to me. A mix of abstract and representational. The abstract parts speak through color, texture, light – pure feeling without words. The recognizable parts give me somewhere to land, the beginning of a story, an anchor point.

Maybe this reveals something about how I move through life, not just art. I need both – the question and at least a thread of an answer. The unknown and the familiar. It’s just how I’m wired.

What about you – can you float in pure abstraction, or do you need something to hold onto? Does your art preference match how you handle uncertainty in other parts of your life?

Could you explain what art is if I asked you now? Read my thoughts on what are is here.