The Silent and Looming — The Visual Schema and Metaphorical Construction of Contemporary Abstract Painting

Zhijun Wang

(Academy of Fine Arts, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China)

Abstract: The language of abstract painting presents a relationship between silence and loom as well as different narrative methods of abstract painting artists. It corresponds and observes with the artist’s own inner world through visual means to achieve the agreement between the meaning and content of the visual form. The abstract works of different artists have a variety of presentation methods in terms of schematic features and work forms. This diversity characterizes the semantic features and linguistic meanings that appear in the visual schema, adding to the abstract metaphorical meaning. The abstract or hidden visual symbols, or the patterns composed of silent or high-profile visual elements in abstract paintings provide people with a way to understand the works. The visual schema formed by the visual elements in the abstract context is read and understood, presenting the changing qualities of artistic image language.

Key words: metaphor, schema transfer, abstract painting, visual logic