contemporarypainting
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Fine vs Decorative Art
If a painting is created mainly to match a luxurious interior rather than to express something deeply personal or challenge ideas, then it leans more toward decorative art, even if it’s technically a painting. It becomes part of the decor rather than a standalone statement.
That raises an interesting question—does the intent of the artist or the way the artwork is used define whether it’s fine art or decorative art? If someone paints with raw emotion and meaning but it ends up as a luxury wall piece, does that change what it is?
Especially with modern abstract painting—it’s everywhere in high-end homes, hotels, and corporate spaces. A lot of it seems designed to be aesthetically pleasing but not too thought-provoking, so it blends into the environment rather than demanding attention. It feels like abstraction has been commercialized into a luxury good rather than a form of deep expression, at least in many cases.
Of course, that doesn’t mean all abstract art today is purely decorative. There are still artists pushing boundaries and using abstraction in meaningful ways. But a lot of what sells seems to be more about fitting a vibe than saying something.
By ChatGPT
774669193720233984
“Where there is no shadow, there is no light.”
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)
The Taking of Christ
1602
oil on canvas
133.5 cm × 169.5 cm (52.6 in × 66.7 in)
National Gallery of Ireland
774569373689167873
“I blur things to make everything equally important and equally unimportant. I blur things so that they do not look artistic or craftsmanlike but technological, smooth and perfect. I blur things to make all the parts a closer fit. Perhaps I also blur out the excess of unimportant information.”
Gerhard Richter (b. 1932)
Zwei Liebespaare
signed, titled and dated ’“Zwei Liebespaare” Richter 66’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
45¼ x 63in. (115 x 160cm.)
Painted in 1966
Price realised
GBP 7,300,500
774552857832816640
“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” — John Lewis
John Lewis
2020
Watercolor on paper
12 x 9 in
Price: Not for Sale
773831054682357760
“Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.”
Jackson Pollock
Number 28, 1949
signed and dated ‘Jackson Pollock 49’ (lower left)
enamel on canvas mounted on Masonite
12 7/8 x 13 in. (32.5 x 33 cm.)
Painted in 1949.
Price realised
USD 6,705,000
772870564233822208
“It’s instinctive in a certain kind of painting…It’s like a nervous system. It’s not described, it’s happening. The feeling is going on with the task. The line is the feeling, from a soft thing, a dreamy thing, to something hard, something arid, something lonely, something ending, something beginning.” — Cy Twombly
Cy Twombly (1928-2011)
Untitled
signed and dated ‘Cy Twombly 1970’ (on the reverse)
oil based house paint and wax crayon on canvas
61 ¼ x 74 ¾ in. (155.5 x 190 cm.)
Executed in 1970.
Price realised
USD 69,605,000
768464722471305216
“In stating that Abstract Art died of acute boredom, I meant boredom on the part of both public and artist. The public got bored because these things meant nothing to them, and they only went to see them in the first instance because they made them laugh. After a bit they became a stale joke. The artists’ boredom was of a more complicated order. I will endeavor to explain it.”