I always find it strange when people say they don't understand abstract art and then in a gallery go right up close to examine the detail of a traditional painting. Keeping this mindset, now try stepping back while looking at the whole painting in the same way-disregard the figures or landscape. Then do the same with an 'abstract' painting. You may be experiencing a foreign language but you can still appreciate it's beauty, rhythms, pronunciation, you can tell if what you are experiencing is legitimate or nonsense. As you look more and more the language becomes easier to understand. There are terrible abstract works, just as there are poor Old Masters, in time your fluency will determine your taste. The reason I don't paint figures or landscapes is because they hold zero interest to me as a subject matter, I just wouldn't be being honest.