Abstraction: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when referring to an idea or concept not associated with any specific instance. Often employed in art, philosophy, and computer science.

• Modern art often relies on abstraction to convey deeper meanings.
• Abstraction in programming helps in managing complexity by focusing on higher-level operations.

Used when making broad statements or principles from specific cases. It may sometimes carry a negative connotation if oversimplified.

• The scientist made a generalization based on the data from the experiment.
• Be careful with generalizations; they can lead to inaccurate conclusions.

Applied when making a complex idea or process easier to understand. Often used in teaching, technical writing, and communication.

• The teacher's simplification of the topic helped students understand it better.
• Simplification of technical manuals is crucial for user comprehension.

Relevant when discussing the formation of clear and distinct ideas. Common in academic, research, and planning contexts.

• The conceptualization of the new marketing strategy took several months.
• Her thesis includes the conceptualization of social behaviors.

Use this when discussing the idea of separating complex concepts from specifics or details. It’s common in philosophy, art, and technology.

• In philosophy, abstraction allows us to discuss ideas at a high level without getting bogged down in details
• In art, abstraction often refers to work that doesn’t depict real objects directly

This is similar to non-objective art, referring to art that doesn't aim to represent any specific object or scene. It's used in contexts that emphasize the independence from visual references in the real world.

• Piet Mondrian's grid paintings, which feature only lines and colored blocks, are examples of non-representational art

Use this term when referring to artwork that does not relate to, or represent, objects from the natural world. This style emphasizes form, color, and texture over recognizable subject matter.

• Wassily Kandinsky’s works are often categorized as non-objective art as they focus on geometric shapes and colors rather than depicting specific objects

This is used to talk about art in which the concept behind the work is more important than the finished art object. It often involves an idea or message.

• Yoko Ono's 'Instruction Paintings' are a great example of conceptual art; the instructions themselves are the art