STANDARDS

Core Art Standards: VA2, VA9, VA11

CCSS: R1, R2, R3

What Is Abstract Expressionism?

Have you ever looked at an abstract artwork, like one of the paintings shown here, and wondered, “Why is this special?” The paintings on these pages are part of an art movement called Abstract Expressionism, which emerged in the 1940s in New York City. Abstract Expressionists were more interested in process—how a work is made—than in representing something recognizable.

Abstract Expressionist art can look messy and be hard to appreciate. But instead of asking yourself what a work means, consider how the artist made it. You might even think about which verbs you could use to describe the way an artist composed a painting: drip, pour, splash, brush, sweep, glide, layer, splatter, and more! Thinking about the artist's process will help you understand these works. Keep reading to learn more.

Image of a colorful Janet Sobel painting

Janet Sobel (1894-1968), Milky Way, 1945. Enamel on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art/ Licensed by Scala/Art Resource, NY.

How does Sobel create a painting without a focal point?

Allover Painting

Where does your eye go when you look at the work by Janet Sobel above? Does your gaze gravitate toward one spot, or move all over?

Sobel and many other Abstract Expressionists created allover paintings— paintings without a focal point. Sobel pioneered the drip painting method that Jackson Pollock would become famous for several years later. To make her 1945 Milky Way, above, Sobel dripped paint all over the canvas and blew on the wet paint to create swirling abstract forms.

Image of two people hanging up a Rothko painting

Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images.

What effect does Rothko’s use of color have on viewers?

Focus on Color

Abstract Expressionist works don’t usually represent recognizable subjects. Instead, colors and marks on the canvas evoke strong emotional reactions in viewers. For example, to create his 1951 No. 7, shown above, Mark Rothko used a warm palette. When viewers stand in front of the composition, the geometric planes seem to engulf them, pulling them toward the painting.

Image of Pollock creating one of his famous paintings

Hans Namuth/Center for Creative Photography.

Why were Namuth’s photos of Pollock key to understanding the artist’s process?

Power in the Process

In 1950, photographer Hans Namuth took more than 500 photos of Jackson Pollock, recording his movements as he painted. Namuth’s photographs, such as the one shown above, helped the public understand action painting. The photos make it clear that the finished artwork is a visual record of the artist’s process. Pollock popularized the drip painting technique innovated by Sobel. He splashed paint onto a canvas on his studio floor, creating the appearance of chaotic mark making.

Image of a person viewing a red and orange painting

Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images.

How does Still invite viewers into his paintings?

Sweeping Scale

Many Abstract Expressionists worked on a large scale. Clyfford Still’s PH-4, 1952, shown above, is nearly 10 feet tall and more than 7 feet wide. Imagine how it would feel to stand in front of this towering painting. How would the size, the warm colors, and the texture affect your mood?

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