How did abstract art differ from representational art?

In the context of art, the primary distinction between representational and abstract art lies in their relationship to the visible world.

Representational Art

Representational art—often associated with terms like realism or naturalism—seeks to depict objects, figures, or scenes from nature and human civilization. Historically, artists used elements of form, color, line, and texture to describe, illustrate, or reproduce the physical world. Before the 20th century, this approach dominated Western art, with the primary goal being the imitation or idealization of visual reality.12

Abstract Art

Abstract art is characterized by the rejection of the objective reproduction of the visible world. Instead of using art to describe external subjects, abstract artists focus on the inherent properties of the medium itself—such as the flat surface of a canvas, color, and geometric form.134

While some artists "abstracted" from nature by simplifying appearances, pure abstract art creates works out of forms not drawn from the visible world at all. This shift represents a move away from traditional conventions toward a self-referential language, where the artwork exists as an entity in its own right rather than a window into a depicted scene.154