Representation and Abstraction

They both constantly feed into each other don't they?  All 'representation' is an abstraction of the reality (whatever that is!) that it depicts. For example all the paintings you see are '2 dimensional', but their subject was 3 dimensional. They usually present a single sensory representation- ie they are there to be seen, but the landscape they might depict also had noise, and cold wind, and a scale that can only be hinted at in a relatively small two dimensional painting.  Similarly, all 'abstraction' is fuelled by the artist's knowledge of 'objective'  reality. If I paint a large expanse of lemon yellow that I consider to be abstract- it could be that I know about that particular yellow, and have developed a taste for it- by having seen Rapeseed fields in May. So even if it isn't representational, it is certainly informed, consciously or not, by the world it does not represent, if you get my drift!

They have always seemed like two parts of the same whole to me.

Yellow field scene, Leicestershire countryside scene

Abstract yellow