Abstraction

Bertie is feeling a little abstract today.

To abstract is to draw out
the essence of a matter.
To abstract in art
is to separate certain fundamentals
from irrelevant material
which surrounds them.

– Ben Shahn

I’m sometimes a little annoyed about the confusion between abstract art (based on real objects, simplifying, reducing and changing them) and non-representational art (not based on objects). Logically, you cannot abstract (lit.: take away), if you don’t start with something to abstract from.

Now, Bertie here is doubly abstract and proud of it: he’s an abstraction of dogginess in the first place, and now he’s been reduced to monochrome triangles. After pondering the matter from various angles, he seems quite happy, and has settled down for a little nap.

Foolish?

Ooh! I sat up in bed. I hadn’t known I’d have nightmares with Joe gone. That poor ghost in chains.

I’d been surprised Joe had hardly complained about having to work tonight and missing April fool’s. I guessed he was getting over it. I’d seen the soap on the bathroom floor, it almost seemed a bit tame for Joe. There was probably something nasty in the fridge…

I heard a whimpering noise. I opened the bedroom door and there was Joe, wrapped in a chain, lying in a heap at the foot of the stairs.

Maybe he does need help?