Q: I have a fascination with abstract art, mostly because I don't understand it; I don't understand where it comes from, or how it becomes catalyzed. It's not just surreal paintings or sculpture, but also obscure music, photography, avant-garde ways of life, or eccentric people. It's paradoxical because the less I understand it, the more I enjoy it, but at the same time the fact that I don't...

A: the best way to understand: take a class. i took a class on modern art and it is imperative that you understand the culture and the context in which the piece was created. you can read up on abstract expressionism to get some idea of it, but the best way is to really understand the evolution of art and how abstract expressionism fits into the time period in which it occurred. what came before it and what came after.