Abstract art often leaves people asking: "Is this art?" And that's precisely the reaction many artists want to provoke.

In its purest form, abstract art doesn't show recognisable objects or figures. The artist represents his inner thoughts and feelings with shapes, lines, colours and tones.

Abstract art originates in the 19th century. Some say it is a response to the invention of photography, which freed artists from their traditional role as portrayers of reality.

The rapid changes in society affected many artists in the early 1900s. The abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky once wrote: "When religion, science and morality are shaken ... then man's gaze turns away from the external towards himself."

If you like abstract art, you might also like:

• Abstract Expressionism – In post-war America, the Abstract Expressionists expressed their emotions with a variety of abstract painting styles.
  Artists: Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline



• Fauvism – The French artist Henri Matisse founded this short-lived artistic movement. Fauvists used pure colour, often squeezed straight from paint tubes.
  Other artists: André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck



• Surrealism – The Surrealists tried to link reality and fantasy and tap into their subconsciousnesses. Some might describe their paintings as bizarre.
  Painters: René Magritte, Salvador Dalí and Pierre Roy