Arc

Most photographs are recognizable as representations of familiar things or places. Here the picture is of something real, yet the artist has reduced the visual information to the point where we cannot recognize the things photographed, turning it into an abstraction. There is no story told or place that can be identified.  It is image distilled down to a relationship of forms only. 
The still life has been a standard theme of artists for centuries. Here the internationally known painter Pat Steir gives us a drawing lesson with flowers. Drawing recognizable objects is something that can be taught and learned. One can improve. Is one of these two a better drawing than the other?  As with so much in art, it depends on your point of view.