The paper refers to the mutual relations between abstract and figurative painting, from the Renaissance to the present. By referring to the rationalism and conceptualism of iconology related to realism and the phenomenological purity of Dutch realism, it emphasizes the idealistic foundations or effects of trends in painting considered realistic. In turn, demonstrating the presence of sensual aspects in abstract art, it examines the possibility of considering reality as an abstract phenomenon and asks about the relevance of the conflicting understandings of both categories, especially with regard to the tendency to mix these two orders in current painting trends. ; The paper refers to the mutual relations between abstract and figurative painting, from the Renaissance to the present. By referring to the rationalism and conceptualism of iconology related to realism and the phenomenological purity of Dutch realism, it emphasizes the idealistic foundations or effects of trends in painting considered realistic. In turn, demonstrating the presence of sensual aspects in abstract art, it examines the possibility of considering reality as an abstract phenomenon and asks about the relevance of the conflicting understandings of both categories, especially with regard to the tendency to mix these two orders in current painting trends.