Definition Of Abstract Art In Us History. Brief history of abstract art As far as we can tell, abstract art first began some 70,000 years ago with prehistoric engravings:
The origins of abstract art. Western art had been, from the renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. An abstract artist does not strive to depict reality through his artwork.