No doubt some will find this short essay lacking in 'academic underpinnings,' or perhaps overly simplisticwhile others may find it somewhat confusing still. It is not meant by any means to be all-inclusive, nor will it be the last word on this subject. This is my sense of lyrical abstraction and a few of the artists associated with it. I'd like to make this straightforward and easily understood by the common man or woman who wishes to gain some insight into this term, relative to 20th-century art historyand why I feel this style is unique. In doing so, I'll sketch out some of the stylistic parameters I think are significant and try to circumvent a lot of the jargon and academic erudition (and resulting confusion) that surrounds this term, hoping to make it comprehensible for those who choose not to wade through extensive dogma, philosophy, art criticismand nonsense. I 'd like to insert my two cents into this discussion, to define what lyrical abstraction means to me personally, as an artist. Some of that may just be due to 'Art Criticism Obfuscation.' I don't know if it's intentionalif there's a motive for such thingsor if it's merely a matter of debate or misunderstanding, but in any case it doesn't need to be this way. There is a great deal of confusion associated with this style that's prevented people from understanding what exactly constitutes lyrical abstraction. (Chalk one up for Art I'm always pleased and amused that visual forms defy explanations, words, or even consistent perceptions.

But from what I've read, many of the critics cannot agree, or don't see things consistently in this area.

The term 'lyrical abstraction' has already been discussed by others more educated than I, including those who should have a solid grasp of what it means and how its particular style and orientation is similar toor contrastsother forms of abstraction. It doesn't get more lyrical than this: contemporary abstraction by Marilyn Kirsch, T o Be Found Wanting

Lyrical art