Do you know what Abstract Expressionism is?

Today many artists still draw inspiration from the creative principles and techniques of the Abstract Expressionist art movement. 

But what is Abstract Expressionism?

After World War II in the United States and especially in New York, the creative climate that arose from the coexistence of artists, both local and émigrés, favored the development of new lines of expression. 

The era was one of strong psychological, social and economic instability, however, art, as in many other historical occasions, was an effective means of interpreting reality.

Mark Rothko, Untitled (Orange, Plum, Yellow), 1950, Museo Reina Sofia

The adoption of an abstract language by these artists was a natural consequence of the negative feelings that had remained in the community after the horror of the war.

In fact, figuration did not seem to be able to express the turmoil of emotions of the artists who, therefore, made abstract art the fruit of their dramatic and optimistic experiences at the same time. 

The abstract expressionists took refuge within themselves, abandoned all references and gave absolute priority to gesture and physical action. Both were as much a technique of production as a represented subject.

Willem De Kooning. Untitled (Woman in a Forest)ca. 1963-64, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

5 facts you should know about Abstract Expressionism:

1. Its original name is Action Paintingcoined by the art critic Harold Rosemberg in an article in the magazine Art News magazine in 1952 called "The American Action Painters".
2. It is considered the first fully American art movement and for this it received government support and CIA funding.
3. It is inspired by automatism, an artistic practice used by the surrealists where the subconscious is allowed to flow, with the aim of externalizing the artist's deepest and most authentic feelings.
4. The technique of dripping was invented by the expressionist artist Jackson Pollock and consists of letting paint drip, drip, splash or fall from a container to the surface of the work.
5. Abstract expressionisminspired other artistic currents, such as minimalism and French tachism.

Jackson Pollock painting

Among the pioneering names of the movement are Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Mark Rothko, Joan Mitchell, James Brooks, among others.