Abstract Expressionism

"Abstract Expressionism or abstract expressionism - A painting movement in which artists typically applied paint rapidly, and with force to their huge canvases in an effort to show feelings and emotions, painting gesturally, non-geometrically, sometimes applying paint with large brushes, sometimes dripping or even throwing it onto canvas. Usually there was no effort to represent subject matter. Not all work was abstract, nor was all work expressive, but it was generally believed that the spontaneity of the artists' approach to their work would draw from and release the creativity of their unconscious minds. The expressive method of painting was often considered as important as the painting itself."

"A term first used in connection with Kandinsky in 1919, but more commonly associated with post-war American art. Robert Coates, an American critic, coined it in 1946, referring to Gorky, Pollock and de Kooning.. There are two distinct groups within the movement: Colour Field artists (Rothko, Newman, Still) worked with simple, unified blocks of colour; and gestural painters like Pollock, De Kooning and Hofmann who made use of Surrealist techniques of automatic art. The only real connection between Abstract Expressionists was in their artistic philosophy, and publications like Tiger's Eye, an avant-garde magazine that helped spread their ideas. All were influenced by Existentialist ideas, which emphasized the importance of the act of creating, not of the finished object. The Abstract Expressionists sought to express their subconscious through their art. They conceived an almost Romantic view of the artist, seeing their painting as a way of life and themselves as disillusioned commentators on contemporary society after the Depression and the Second World War.

Sources.

http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/a/abstractexpr.html

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/abex.html

In bold are the more important elements of the texts. These generally refer to the almost mystical attributes of the painters. Abstract Expressionists rely on movement and the pure first touch on a painting to get meaning. They do not care for intense finishing, prefering that initial surge of creativity. Contextualizing them with the Existentialist philosophical movement is also important, as both are connected. What is important about Pollocks' work is the essence of its beginning.