Tomma Abts - Abstract Art is OK but not KO.

In 2006 the Turner Prize gained it's first ever female winner. The artist who achieved this feat hails from Germany and is called is Tomma Abts. In order to carry off the Turner Prize - in the final, Tomma had to overcome three notable artists .

In no particular order of importance these were - sculptress Rebecca Warren who was the fancied hot favourite with many bookies, "billboard artist" Mark Titchner - and finally film maker Phil Collins...(No not him of Genesis fame!).

In the end good fortune - and the judges smiled on Tomma Abts. Tomma won 25,000 - surely a welcome addition to her bank account - and the prize itself. However the exposure Tomma Abts will receive from winning is worth much more than the cash - or so it's often said. I tend to agree.

What does Tomma Abts do? Well she actually paints abstract art; usually in oils or acrylics. - something of a novelty for the Turner Prize - some would say! Tomma Abts was originally selected for her solo art exhibitions at Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland, and Greengrassi, London.

"Intimate" and "compelling" are just two of the adjectives used by the prestigious Tate Gallery to describe paintings by Tomma Abts. When it comes to Tomma's actual approach to her art - they describe this as ""rigorous" and "consistent". According to the Tate - when it comes to abstract art - Tomma Abts simply "enriches" it.

With such fullsome praise for Tomma around - it isn't difficult to see why she won the 2006 Turner Prize. As for my thoughts?...well - I think Tomma Abts is "OK" without being "KO".

Tomma seems fond of constructing her images by repeating endlessly varying geometric base shapes or elements. Hardly original - one would think however, despite my initial cynicism - I have found images by Tomma Abts to be very evocative and quite memorable.

48 x 38 cms - exactly. These are the dimensions of every Tomma Abts painting. I'm not sure quite why Tomma selected these dimensions. Obviously she finds them appealing and I suppose they make for a very compact painting.

When creating titles for her paintings apparently Tomma simply plucks one from a dictionary of German first names! Titles like "Veeke" for example were created in this way. In my view this is surely only slightly more interesting than numbering each picture!

There is no doubt that Tomma Abts makes abstract art that is comprehensible to the general public. This something that is in marked contrast to some other winners of the Turner Prize. Furthermore a picture by Tomma Abts could not possibly offend anyone save the most feeble-minded of souls!

In the final analysis I think it's quite possible that Tomma Abts could develop into a household "art name" - a bit like Damian Hirst - before she shuffles off this mortal coil...On the other hand she could simply vanish in a thrice, without trace, from our minds and our media. As I see it - exactly the same reasons could result in either outcome.

Article Source: http://mylilpeanut.com

About The Author: Flo Cordon worships Art. Read her fascinating writing on 2006 Turner Prize Winner Tomma Abts. Flo provides a whole new outlook on Abstract Art.
Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated