The Spiritual Language of Art:
Understanding Nonobjective Painting

A university-style, fine art lecture designed to be both inspiring and informative for a wide range of audiences: working artists, art appreciators, art students, and fine arts educators. Presented by Steven Aimone, artist,  educator, and author of EXPRESSIVE DRAWING: A Practical Guide to Freeing the Artist Within (Sterling Publishing/Lark Books, 2009) and DESIGN! A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists and Craftspeople (Lark Books, 2004), the presentation is available for arts groups and institutions everywhere. The lecture runs between 1 and 1 ½ hours, and additional time is set aside for an interactive question-answer session. Fees for the lecture is determined on an individual basis; lodging and travel expenses are additional.

MORE ABOUT THE LECTURE                                                                           

Steven Aimone offers a challenging and engaging introduction to the language of non-objective design. Simply put, the question posed is this: what can art do when it’s not describing appearances or telling stories? The answer put forward by this lecture is that art can speak of realities that are internal and/or transcendent. The audience is encouraged to consider visual elements (such as line and shape) as animate entities that stand as surrogates for animate entities in nature, and to considier how visual relationships such as rhythm and equilibrium speak as metaphors for internal and spiritual realities.

The presentation includes images of work, and quotes by, master artists of the 20th (and 21st) Century including Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, Hilla Rebay, Jean Arp, Arshile Gorky, Joan Miro, Hans Hofmann, Georgia O’Keefe, Jackson Pollack, Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Agnes Martin, Susan Rothenberg, Terry Winters.

General audiences will come away with a better understanding and appreciation for “abstract art.” Art-makers will gain a broader understanding of the creative potential of non-objective arrangement, and understanding that underlies all design (regardless of style, medium, or subject).

2013 AUDIENCES for this lecture included:

Atlanta Collage Society, Atlanta, Georgia                                                    The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts, Highlands, North Carolina        
Hirsch-Lassen Gallery, Metarie, Louisiana

Vancouver Island Art Workshops, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Aimone Art Workshops, Asheville, North Carolina and Thomaston, Maine