action painting

Or Action Painting

noun

1. Also called tachism. a style of American abstract expressionist painting typified especially in the works of Jackson Pollack and Willem de Kooning in the 1940s, in which the furiously energetic and free application of the paint is seen as being expressive of the psychological and emotional state of the artist at the moment of creation.

2. abstract expressionism.

action painting

noun

1. Also called: tachisme. a development of abstract expressionism evolved in the 1940s, characterized by broad vigorous brush strokes and accidental effects of thrown, smeared, dripped, or spattered paint See also abstract expressionism

Other Word Forms

• action painter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of action painting¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55