New works by Albert Coertse.

VVV III, Mixed Media on panel, 110 x 110 cm

Oestrus, Mixed Media on panel, 103 x 103 cm

Abstract art, that which deals with form, shape, color and without any direct reference to a visual, is a new direction within Albert Coertse’ work. The use of color in this manner frees it from an objective reference and the color becomes the subject itself. Similarly Line is a primary subject in this new body of work, creating an abstract dimension independent of allusions to a particular signifier. Thus, through the use of form and color spreading, Albert’s works lead our eye into an abstract space within the painting. Margaret Livingston Phd, in Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing, explains how specific centers of the brain respond only to color and others only to shape, and how art through the sense of vision can engage our brains in imaginative ways. In an abstract work, while our conscious mind is absorbed with the movement of color and line, our unconscious engages in our own unique subjective experiences. Perhaps memories, or emotions or an uncanny resemblance of the work to something within our personal experiences will arise. Thus an abstract work of this quality speaks to one of our most innate drives, the drive for Freedom! Freedom within - of our cognition, emotion and imagination - sparked by the pleasing colors and lines of these artworks is how we experience an Albert Coertse.