What is Abstract Expressionism?

Abstract Expressionism refers to new forms of abstract art developed by American painters in the 1940s and 1950s. As many of the artists associated with the movement were based in New York, the Abstract Expressionists were also known as the New York School.

Art critic Robert Coates coined the term Abstract Expressionism in 1946 when reviewing the work of painters Arshile Gorky, Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, though the artists themselves often defied categorisation. The style was informed by the Great Depression and World War II, with the artworks often exploring post-war trauma, anxiety and the inner psyche. Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko once shared, ‘I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on.’

The movement encompassed a broad spectrum of approaches, with the two major styles of Abstract Expressionism being action painters and colour field painters. Pollock and de Kooning led the action painters, with a focus on conveying energy through their gestural application of paint.

The second group involved artists Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Clyfford Still, who often explored spiritual, religious and mythic themes. These artists created contemplative or meditative works using large areas of colour on the canvas.

During the 1960s, this style evolved into the Color Field Painting movement, which was purely abstract and focused more on the relationship between colours. Artist Helen Frankenthaler is often credited with the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field Painting, with her works such as Mountains and Sea (1952) and Interior Landscape (1964) depicting flowing fields of colour.

What are the characteristics of Abstract Expressionism?

The styles within Abstract Expressionism varied, from Pollock’s drip-painting technique to Rothko’s large, luminous colour fields. What united these artists was a rejection of traditional artistic conventions in favour of spontaneity, subjective experience and technical experimentation.

Artists within this movement created non-representational forms rather than recognisable figures, instead using gesture, colour and texture to convey emotional intensity. To create a sense of immersion within their work, Abstract Expressionists would often paint at scale so that an artwork could be experienced by a viewer, rather than purely seen.

Abstract Expressionism paintings typically did not have a singular focal point, with Pollock — one of the leaders of the movement — developing an ‘all-over manner’. This technique highlights the influence of Surrealism on his work, and how he did not view the creative process as having a beginning or end. Other Abstract Expressionists also adopted this style of composition, using brushstrokes and colour to draw attention to the entire surface of a canvas.

Abstract Expressionism vs Abstract Impressionism

Abstract Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism were closely connected art styles, both found in mid-20th century New York. While both groups of artists produced work which focused on emotion, Abstract Expressionists use their artworks to look inwards, compared to Abstract Impressionists who took a lighter, more lyrical approach.

Though coined by artist Elaine de Kooning, the term Abstract Impressionism was popularised by critic Louis Finkelstein, who used it to describe how Philip Guston’s works were set apart from Abstract Expressionism.

Abstract Expressionism became a more formally established artistic movement compared to Abstract Impressionism. Credited as the first internationally influential American art movement, Abstract Expressionism shifted the centre of the post-war art world from Paris to New York.