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Abstract Expressionism
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Abstract Expressionism
Who on earth were the “Irascibles” ?
They were abstract painters (their paintings did not represent observable reality) who gave birth to the first 100% American movement.
The movement they belong to was called “Abstract Expressionism”. In fact, it had two branches:
- Action painting: The artist’s movements are important, since the whole body is involved.
- Colorfield painting: The canvases are covered with large areas of colour, which becomes the subject of the paintings.
Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31 (“One: number 31”), 1950, oil and enamel on canvas, 106 x 209 inches, Museum of Modern Art, New York © ADAGP, Paris 2021
This is action painting
Mark Rothko, Untitled 1952, oil on canvas, 103 x 62,5 inches, Private Collection © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko – ADAGP, Paris, 2021. Photo: Gandalf’s Gallery, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
This is colourfield painting
In a nutshell
Abstract Expressionism, which is divided between action painting and colorfield painting, was an artistic movement born in the United-States.
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