Appreciating Abstract Art

As I thought I might, I've been warming to this piece of abstract sculpture over time.

It's on Second Avenue not all that far from where I live...part of the fun of viewing sculpture is to see  how it changes as you move around it, and so a simple photo like this can't give you that kind of experience.

One aspect I've noticed with this piece is how it reflects light differently at different times of the day ( when hit sideways by early evening light, it looks the best). It and fountains are lit up at night.

Modern Art as we have come to know it through Picasso and others seems preoccupied with the element of design. Formal elements are more important than representation of something familiar we can relate to. Often I think this is something of a disaster, such as in the works of Alexander Calder and Jackson Pollock ( his paint dribblings were not random, he was looking for a certain effect). 

As I get older, I am more appreciative of abstract art in general ....but I still prefer older works that combine craftsmanship and a more easily understood sense of what they're about, such as the Schott sculpture in Central Park ( below), which seems more complete to me as a work of art.