I am beginning to discover that figuration is best suited to tonal relationships, whereas colour is at it's most emphatic and far- reaching when it is abstract. Picasso's draughtsmanship was best realised in his drawings and prints and compromised somewhat in his paintings. I do not think that abstract art necessarily means an end to figuration either. The terms may need redefining anyway. It is about getting the most of out the medium - whatever medium you are working in.