Early development of abstraction

"Earliest recognitions of abstraction began to circulate in the atmosphere around Delacriox"

'Homage to Delacriox' (1836) by Fantin Latour was a very early presentation of abstraction.

After reading Paths to Abstraction 1867-1917 It was interesting to find this quote as I had never thought of abstraction before it was first presented and exhibited in 1912. The irony of this image consisted of a very romantic style painting but with un romantic tones, It shows Sepia tones instead of realistic colours which is very controversial for the time it was painted. Delacriox was from the Romanticism period in art theories and used colours true to the reality of the subject however his homage was painted in greys and browns which was a turning point for artists.

This ground breaking painting was a pathway for other artists to experiment with paintings and drawings which aren't true to the realistic subject they are studying. This led onto other ways of showing abstraction of reality which inevitably led on to the abstract paintings we see today.

This particular quite really helped me with my studio work because I had never thought before of using different ways other than warping and using shapes to create an abstract painting, It enhanced my interest in colour.