The Beauty of Keeping It Simple: Exploring Flat Dimensions in 2D Abstract Art
- Charlotte Wensley
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 11 hours ago
2D abstract art has always had a special way of making us feel something — even without clear forms or familiar subjects. It speaks through colour, shape, rhythm, and mood. And one of the most intriguing ways it does this is through the idea of flat dimensions — art that celebrates the surface rather than pretending to have depth.
I'm exploring this idea in my current work - but only in sections and trying to fuse this concept with my general landscape direction is an interesting challenge!
I thought I'd take a closer look at what makes flat 2D art so captivating, why artists love working this way, and how simplicity on the surface can open up endless layers of emotion and meaning.
And at the same time, perhaps unravel for me why I don't yet seem able to give my work over to totally flat dimensions, even though I feel such a strong pull towards this concept. I feel as though sometimes this approach doesn't visually seem like it's 'enough'. But then I look at the work by painters who have crafted their work in this way and it feels powerful and more than enough! Maybe it has something to do with the conscious and focused application of the concept rather than random abandonment of colours on a surface?
| What Do “Flat Dimensions” Mean in Art?
When we talk about flat dimensions, we’re talking about art that fully embraces its two-dimensional nature. There’s no illusion of perspective, no shadow trickery — just pure surface.
Instead of trying to create the illusion of space, artists working in this way focus on:
Bold, contrasting colours that create visual impact.
Geometric or organic shapes interacting across the surface.
Minimal details, allowing the essentials to shine through.
It’s an approach that draws you in through colour, form, and feeling — letting your imagination fill in the story, rather than showing you one or giving you a more literal pathway to follow visually.
| Modern & Mid-Century Pioneers of Flat Abstraction
Flat abstract art has a timeless quality that has inspired many famous modern artists:
Ellsworth Kelly (1923 - 2015) was a master of clean, bold colour shapes arranged on flat planes. His work is all about form, hue, and space — no texture or depth, just pure visual clarity.
Josef Albers (1888 - 1976) was known for his Homage to the Square series, exploring colour relationships within perfectly flat compositions. His work is a meditation on how flat colour interacts and vibrates.
Piet Mondrian (1872 - 1944) was one of the earliest to embrace pure flat abstraction — grids of colour and line that balance harmony and rhythm without depth.
Kazimir Malevich's (1875 - 1935) Suprematist works broke away from realism entirely — flat, minimal, and radical in their simplicity.
Agnes Martin (1912 - 2004). While her work appears delicate and textured, she worked almost entirely on flat planes, creating serene, meditative surfaces that resist depth.
And we have to include the wonderful American painter Mark Rothko (1903 - 1970). His Color Field paintings are made of large, floating rectangles of colour — though they might seem deep, they’re actually about surface interaction and emotional resonance on a flat plane.
| Contemporary Artists Exploring Flatness and Colour
Sarah Morris employs geometric, architectural abstractions and flat planes of vivid colour and sharp lines to explore urban rhythm and structure.
Tomma Abts creates illusionistic shapes but keeps everything confined to a single, flat picture plane — blending logic and emotion. She works with formal elements—arcs, circles, planes, polygons, and stripes—and interweaves them with highlights and shadows, converting two-dimensional canvases into complex illusory spaces.
Odili Donald Odita creates vibrant geometric compositions exploring culture and identity through flat fields of intense, carefully balanced colour. His work is often on a large scale including murals.
Carmen Herrera is one of the great masters of hard-edge abstraction — crisp lines, flat colour, and bold minimalism that feels timeless and modern.
Polly Apfelbaum works with colourful, flat fabric or paint forms arranged on the floor or wall — merging painting and installation while staying resolutely two-dimensional.
Jessica Snow is a contemporary abstract painter known for playful, layered compositions that stay flat but evoke rhythm and space through colour and line.
| Australian Artists Working In This Space
Gemma Smith from Sydney works with flat, interlocking geometric shapes and subtle colour transitions — very much in conversation with modernist flat abstraction.
Sally Gabori (Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori) creates pieces that are deeply tied to place and memory; her large-scale colour fields maintain a flat, abstract intensity that feels both emotional and graphic.
Emily Kame Kngwarreye creates paintings that dissolve into pure fields of energy and movement — layered but ultimately flat in form, capturing the pulse of the land in 2D space.
Helen Eager – Plays with flat shapes and colour harmonies, creating rhythmic compositions that are joyful and crisp.
| Why Does Flat Art Still Feel So Modern?
Working in two dimensions invites simplicity and focus — and that can be incredibly freeing.
Artists use flat planes to:
Reduce complex ideas into simple visual language.
Play with colour relationships and balance.
Create artworks that are accessible and immediate, yet feel deeply emotional.
In my own work, I often explore how flat dimensions can hold layers of feeling without ever needing to suggest physical depth. Subtle shifts in hue or the meeting of two colours on a clean edge can feel like the most perfect painterly moment. But I always pull back into a space that invites visual depth rather than eliminates it, for a sensation that the work feels too flat and lacking in energy - this is where the interplay of colours helps to create a feeling of vibrance and movement.
| Styles of Flat Abstract Art
In a more technical sense flat abstract art comes in many forms, but three key styles often connect with this idea of 'flatness':
Geometric Abstraction – crisp lines, clear shapes, and a sense of harmony through order.
Lyrical Abstraction – more fluid and emotional, using loose brushwork while keeping everything on one plane.
Color Field Painting – large, uninterrupted areas of colour that seem to breathe and radiate energy.
Each approach treats the surface differently, but all use flat space to communicate beyond realism — to express pure emotion, balance, and energy. And whilst I strive for these things to be present in my work, perhaps I am still on a more of a story-telling journey at this stage in my creative practice?
| Why Flat Art Speaks to Us
There’s something soothing about art that doesn’t compete for attention with realism or detail. Flat abstract art gives us space to breathe, to interpret, to connect.
It offers:
A moment of stillness in a busy, image-heavy world.
A chance for personal interpretation — you bring your own feelings to it.
A timeless aesthetic that works across eras, styles, and even disciplines — from digital art to fashion to interior design.
Flat art reminds us that beauty doesn’t have to be complex. Sometimes, it’s the simplest arrangements of colour and shape that say the most. This in particular is an idea I would love to learn to lean into!
Flat dimensions in abstract art celebrate what’s right in front of us — the surface itself.
By embracing simplicity, we can open up infinite possibilities for emotion, movement, and connection.
Flat abstract work invites you to look closer, slow down, and see how much feeling can live in a single plane of colour and form.
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