Inventing Abstraction is an exhibit put on by the Museum of Modern Art that seeks to demonstrate the development of abstraction, across multiple genres and art forms, through the connections of the artists and patrons that pioneered the movement. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a chart illustrating the close connections between several of the key figures in this artistic evolution.
The chart to the left is a static view of the network, but an interactive version is available on the MoMA website. In the chart, edges connect artists and represent a documented acquaintance between the two connected individuals. The names shown in red are the most connected nodes/artists.
In interacting with the chart, users are able to select specific nodes and see who those figures are related to. The ability to do so allows users to better understand the influence of key players like Vasily Kandinsky who was not only a talented painter but publisher and theorist who supported and encouraged fellow artists on the bleeding edge of the field. Zooming into particular nodes really allows users to grasp the great degree to which the forebearers of abstraction were connected.
Each node is tied to not only a name but also a sampling of the work produced by that individual and often a short description of their work and their development, the connections they made in particular. The context provided for each node allows the chart to really come to life as users may explore the complex lives and relationships of the early abstractionists.
Particularly striking is that even relatively less connected artists have links to many other key figures. I believe the chart succeeds in its goal to demonstrate the collaborative nature of the genre in its infancy. The revolution came about not from the work of one particular individual, but from a complex network of inspiration, support, and critique.
– Jack
