What do you mean by 'abstract'?

What do you mean by 'abstract'?

There is no such thing.

Everything can be traced back to something concrete.

Look at Picasso.

Look at Dali.

Look at mathematics.

Innovation, Arts and Singapore, Sarah Lewis

Sarah Lewis points out why and how art is important to innovation in MIT Technology Review, of May/June 2014 issue.

What the arts allow us to do is to develop the muscle required for discernment, and also strengthen our sense of agency to determine for ourselves how we're going to tackle a given problem.

In my paraphrase and in elaboration (with me adding a bit) :

1. Arts develop discernment muscles.
2. Arts strengthen initiative, independence and tolerance of ambiguity.  
3. Arts help you learn to stay "hopeful" even when you feel "helpless".

These days, countries  talk a lot about "soft skills," "liberal arts,", "innovation," "high value add," "going higher up on value chain," etc. Many (including Singapore) even include Literature in their school curriculum.

May they be able to go

beyond Metaphor and Metonymy,
beyond Simile and Synecdoche,
beyond Prosody and Personification,

to developing discernment muscles,
to developing initiative,
to developing courage,
to developing creativity.