Abstract Expressionism

modern art · emotions · painting

Born after the war. Abstract expressionism became popular in America during the 1950s, right after World War II ended. It was totally different from the art people made during the Great Depression, which showed real-life scenes of struggle.

Feelings on canvas. Instead of painting pictures of things you could recognize, abstract expressionists splashed, dripped, and smeared paint to show emotions and energy. The way they made marks was just as important as what the painting looked like.

New York was the center. A group of amazing artists in New York City made this style famous. Names like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning became superstars by painting in this wild, expressive way.

Named in 1946. An art critic named Robert Coates came up with the name 'abstract expressionism' to describe this new American art movement. Before that, nobody had a word for this style.

Big and bold. These artists loved working on giant canvases where you could see every energetic brushstroke and splash. The paintings were so big they filled your whole view, making you feel the artist's emotions strongly.