Concrete art

A term invented in 1930, it references abstract art based on geometry, form and color and not nature. In other words, the art is an independent object, divorced from subtle messages such as social concerns, and does not have meaning beyond its external appearance. (What you see is what you get!) Josef Albers, 1933 emigrant from Germany to America, was the major proponent, and his student Max Bill coined the term. Concrete art as an expression of objectivity often gives the appearance of having been created by a machine. The term has gone out of vogue, but descendant styles include Color Field painting, the rebellion of abstract artists against the complicated messages of the Abstract Expressionists. Source: Robert Atkins, "Art Speak"