ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

A style of abstract painting that originated in New York City after World War II and gained and international vogue. Although it has such close antecedents in European art that it is hardly an American creation, the term was first applied to the New York school, whose work is characterized by great verve and certain distinguishing stylistic traits. The latter include the use of large canvases, many of which are wall-size, and a deliberate lack of refinement in the application of the paint, which may be allowed to drip or run. Strong color, heavy impasto, uneven brush strokes, and rough textures are other typical characteristic. Abstract Expressionist painters of the New York school include Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, Clyfford Still, James Brooks, Theodoros Stamos, Sam Francis, Grace Hartigan, Arshile Gorky, Richard Dibenkorn, Adolph Gottlieb, Philip Guston, Willem de Kooning, and Hans Hofmann. Some of these painters introduce refernces to nature into their canvases, though subordinating them to nonrepresentational shapes, color, and paint quality. Notable collections of this art are in the Museum of Modern Art and the Whiteny Museum.