Abstract Expressionism was the first American movement to have worldwide impact. After World War II, a
group of Americans, influenced by European Surrealists and Expressionists, created paintings in which the
weight, shape, direction of paint and brushwork and impulsiveness of the works gave them meaning.
Abstract
expressionism is a style of painting in which the painter shows his personality through color, movement and technique.
There are two major types of abstract expressionism, action painting and color field painting. Action painting strives to show paint
texture and the movement of the artist.
Jackson Pollock
is an example of an action painter. He dripped and poured paint to create his artwork. A color field painter is an artist concerned only
with color and shape on the canvas.
