What is Geometric abstraction?
[[File:Black circle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Kazimir Malevich]], ''Black Circle'', 1913, Oil on canvas, State Russian Museum, [[St Petersburg]]]] [[File:Theo van Doesburg Composition VII (the three graces).jpg|thumb|[[Theo van Doesburg]] 1917, ''Composition VII (the three graces)'']] [[File:Deckenbemalung, Umayyaden-Moschee.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Geometric, but not simple: Painted ceiling of the Umayyad Mosque, [[Damascus]]]] [[File:Barnett Newman Broken Obelisk Rothko Chapel (HDR).jpg|thumb|right|220px|''Broken Obelisk'' by [[Barnett Newman]] is in the grounds of Rothko Chapel, [[Houston]].]] '''Geometric abstraction''' is a form of [[abstract art]] based on the use of geometric forms in non-[[wikt:represent|representational]] compositions. This art is not meant to depict our everyday visual world, but instead uses the shapes of basic [[geometry]]. [[Wassily Kandinsky]], one of the forerunners of pure non-objective painting, was among the first modern artists to explore this geometric approach in his abstract work. Other examples of pioneer abstractionists such as [[Kazimir Malevich]] and [[Piet Mondrian]] have also embraced this approach towards abstract painting. Geometric abstraction is not just an invention of 20th century [[avant-garde]] artists or movements. It is present in many cultures throughout history both as decorative motifs and as art pieces themselves. [[Islamic art]], in its prohibition of depicting religious figures, is a prime example of this geometric pattern-based art. It existed centuries before the modern movement in Europe, and in many ways influenced this Western school. Geometric patterns were often used in the [[architecture]] of Islamic civilisations from the 7th century-20th century, to visually connect spirituality with science and art. Abstract art has also historically been likened to [[music]] in its ability to convey emotional or expressive feelings and ideas without reliance upon or reference to recognizable objective forms already existent in reality. [[Wassily Kandinsky