"Image" In Early Abstract Painting

The rise of abstract painting is an important phenomenon in western modern art world. It subverted the classical idea of artistic representation, changed the traditional way of looking at a painting, and made the modernist aesthetic value well known. According to the key concept of abstractionism, painting should be a self-sufficient art form, which is not a nominatum of the outside world but aim for inside. The nature of art, so to speak, lies in "purity", "autonomy" and "universality".As Mondrian has predicted, the growth of abstract art rooted together with modern design in all aspects of life, while its artistic vitality doesn't make the theory flawless. There were debates about "non-semantic" or "non-historical" inclination and about "absoluteness", which the abstractionists proposed. These discussions are connected with the essentialist ideas of the abstractionists. This doctoral dissertation focuses on the turning point between representational and abstract art, namely when abstract painting was on its early stage. Combining the artistic ideas and art phenomena, it tries to follow the development of abstractionism.In this paper, "image" in early abstract painting will be examined in four aspects:1, The relation between painting and reality:Since the image of painting and painting theories are interrelated, the dissertation tries to probe into the following problem:Both representational and abstract art form have a long history, why the former has been dominant for such a long time, while the latter was not absorbed into the painting category until 20th century? Where did the representational ideology originate and how was its spell broken?2, The deductive history of the image of painting:Starting from painting image in mythological mentality, rationality, and romanticism, this paper intends to suggest a inner logic of the development of early abstract painting through a historical point of view.3, The process of abstraction:This part describes the formation of abstract art. Works of Kandinsky, Mondrian and Malevich were examined to grasp the characters of early abstract painting.4, Famous painters' theories about "image":The paper closely looks at the painters' important discourses about painting, trying to find the different directions and the common traits of early abstractionism.The last dissertation will analyze the inner and outer motives contributing to its emergence, point out the essentialism in early abstract art, and the relationship between early abstract art and modernism.