Abstract art is about representing something invisible in a culture. It's like comedy--the joke only lands if it resonates with some unspoken, often even unreal

Abstract art is about representing something invisible in a culture. It's like comedy--the joke only lands if it resonates with some unspoken, often even unrealized, but shared experience. And abstract artists, like comedians, keep hammering on very similar themes, even if their output is superficially diverse throughout their career. IOW, they're like craftsmen who become increasingly, intimately familiar with some shape or form, the ways it can be manipulated, and (to the extent they're interested) reintegrated into the culture. There's much more craftsmanship (e.g. the cultivation of tacit knowledge) in abstract art than meets the eye. Relative to the entire process, the substantive novelity, such it is, is so miniscule that I would hesitate to say that it's greater than what can be found in the more mundane crafts, at least when comparing people of similar intensity, intelligence, and devotion. And often the reverse may be true, as the constraints in working on well-trodden ground can be challenging and inspiring. That's my $0.02. ;) TL;DR: I agree.