Abstract Expressionism: A History of Abstract Expressionist Art

Abstract expressionism is an art movement that emerged in mid-twentieth-century New York City. Rooted in spontaneous, emotional paintings, the movement encompassed two major styles: action painting and color field painting. Action painting involves dripping and splashing paint onto a canvas rather than applying many tidy, deliberate brushstrokes. Color field paintings are defined by large areas of solid color.

Unlike art styles that emphasize reproducing details as realistically as possible, works of abstract expressionism focused on communicating the artist’s emotions through the use of both traditional and nontraditional forms.

Abstract expressionism was born from the trauma of World War II, and it grew to become one of the defining art movements of the twentieth century. Here is an overview of the movement’s key moments in art history:

• Origins of the term: In 1929, art historian Alfred Barr coined the term to describe the work of Russian-born painter Wassily Kandinsky, but the term would not become commonplace until after the Second World War.
• World War II: The war had a major effect on the birth of abstract expressionism. Modernist writers, artists, and art collectors alike fled Europe during this time. Many of them landed in New York City. Though Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse invented many techniques that would foster abstract expressionist art, they stayed behind in Europe.
• Rise of Pollock: In the late 1940s, artist Jackson Pollock—who would become one of the most famous abstract expressionists in the US American painting scene—began nailing his canvases to the floor and splattering them with paint to create “drip paintings.” Pollock died in 1956 but museums and galleries around the world continue to show his work. The artist’s pieces have fetched as much as $61 million at auction.
• Postwar years: After World War II, a new generation of US American artists began to gain attention. Using a combination of techniques they borrowed from Matisse, Picasso, and Joan Miró and the teachings of artists like Hans Hofmann and John D. Graham, abstract expressionist artists began to define their own style.
• Expanded support: Art collectors like Peggy Guggenheim helped showcase the new movement. Guggenheim’s gallery, The Art of This Century, played a crucial role in promoting the work of abstract expressionists. As more artists emerged, more supporters in the art world opened their doors to abstract art. Major institutions, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), came calling, seeking large exhibits of abstract paintings. Art critics like Clement Greenberg also raised the visibility of abstract expressionism.

Abstract expressionism is an umbrella term for multiple styles of art, yet works within this movement tend to have at least one of these common characteristics:

1. 1. Action painting: Art critic Harold Rosenberg coined the term “action painting” in 1952 to identify the busy artworks of painters like Jackson Pollock. Action painting is typically chaotic, with splashes of paint and drippings covering the canvas.
2. 2. Automatism: Common in the movement was automatism, a technique in which painters let their subconscious lead the way in their art. US American painter Robert Motherwell, in particular, championed the technique.
3. 3. Color fields: In contrast to action paintings, which are busy visually, color field paintings are simple expanses of color on canvas. Examples of this technique include works by the painter Mark Rothko, such as the Seagram Murals at the Tate Modern. Color field paintings are still abstract in nature, typically with a cohesive and monolithic look.
4. 4. Large scales: While abstract expressionists did not invent large-scale pieces, their use of large canvases became commonplace. For example, Pollock’s paintings were so large he preferred to use the floor rather than an easel.

Many painters helped define the abstract expressionist art movement, including:

1. 1. Ad Reinhardt: Taking influence from Barnett Newman and other minimalist artists, Reinhardt was both a painter and a teacher who worked mostly with monochrome squares and oblong shapes. His most famous works include the “black” paintings he created in the 1960s, which feature varying shades of black. Reinhardt died in 1967.
2. 2. Barnett Newman: A color field painter, Newman had his breakthrough in 1948 with Onement I. The piece is a work on canvas consisting of a dark red with a single orange line through the middle, creating two fields. As was the case for many abstract expressionists, art critics questioned whether or not they could regard Newman’s work as art. Newman passed away in 1970.
3. 3. Clyfford Still: Throughout his career, Still focused on themes of the sublime and employed a style that was severe and jagged, often opting for a pallet knife instead of a brush. Still’s works were large-scale and designed to evoke emotions on an equally large scale. In 1979, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York displayed the largest exhibition of Still’s work to date—the largest exhibition the institution had ever organized for a living artist. Still died in 1980.
4. 4. Helen Frankenthaler: Under the artistic influence of painters Hans Hofmann and Jackson Pollock, Frankenthaler used fluid shapes and gestures to express her love of nature and forms within natural environments. One of her well-known works is Mountains and Sea. From 1958 to 1971, Frankenthaler was married to fellow abstract activist Robert Motherwell. She passed away in 2011.
5. 5. Jackson Pollock: At the helm of the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock broke conventional rules when it came to painting, using the floor as his easel, house paint as his medium, and objects like sticks and knives as implements. He pioneered drip techniques and action painting and became an important member of the New York School—an informal group of artists, writers, painters, and musicians who found inspiration in surrealism and the avant-garde movements of the time. His notable works include Autumn Rhythm, Convergence, and No. 5. Pollock died in 1956.
6. 6. Lee Krasner: With specialties in painting and collage, Krasner often used the two techniques in tandem. It was not uncommon for her to deconstruct her own paintings and then use the pieces in her collage works. She was married to fellow abstract artist Jackson Pollock and greatly influenced his style and career. In addition to sharing with her husband her extensive knowledge of contemporary art, she introduced him to key figures in the art world. Notable works by Krasner include Self Portrait, Still Life, and Polar Stampede. She died in 1984.
7. 7. Mark Rothko: A member of the New York School, Rothko made a name for himself by developing color field painting techniques and creating works that featured solid blocks of color. He was mostly self-taught and took influence from philosophers, such as Friedrich Nietzsche. Although his early work was bright in color with softened edges, the colors he chose became darker as he grew older, especially as his health began to fail. Among his best-known artworks are the Seagram Murals, White Center, and Black on Maroon. Rothko passed away in 1970.
8. 8. Robert Motherwell: One of the founders of abstract expressionism, Motherwell received training in philosophy and worked elements of philosophical theory into his work. Important works by the artist include The Little Spanish Prison, Ulysses, and Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 110. Fellow abstract painter Helen Frankenthaler was his third wife. He died in 1991.
9. 9. Willem de Kooning: Born in the Netherlands, painter and sculptor de Kooning moved to New York when he was 22 years old. Like Pollock, he was an action painter within the abstract expressionist movement and a member of the New York School. In his later years, he focused on painting women, often exaggerating their features. His most famous works include Woman III and Woman VI. His painting Woman-Ochre was stolen from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in Tucson in 1985 and recovered in 2017. De Kooning was married to fellow abstract expressionist painter Elaine de Kooning. He passed away in 1997.

Abstract art rejects realistic-looking forms and instead uses shapes, lines, and color schemes that do not resemble anything in reality. This is in contrast to abstract expressionism, which does not necessarily eschew all representational forms.

Like other styles of art, both abstract and abstract expressionist artworks seek to elicit a powerful emotional reaction in the viewer through the choices around composition, color, and other artistic elements. While abstract expressionism was a rejection of the Impressionist movement that came before it (which sought to depict more life-like scenes), it was also a precursor to the abstract art wave. Works in the latter movement made still greater departures from reality, pushing the limits of people’s imaginations even further.

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