action painting

American  

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.

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action painting British  

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

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Other Word Forms

• action painter noun

Etymology

Origin of action painting

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Example Sentences

Dubbed "action painting," Pollock drew in the space above the canvas -- creating shapes in the air which would fall to the canvas below.

From Science Daily • Oct. 31, 2023

It was action painting as improvisational dance, Abstract Expressionism delightfully expressing the joy of play.

From New York Times • Mar. 5, 2023

Mr. Metzger discovered his ideal medium for auto-destructive art with a form of action painting.

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2017

Add Cécile Giovansili-Vissière's lush lighting and voilà, an action painting comes to life.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2014

The ants were, together with the New Yorkers, an abstraction, a live mobile, an action painting, a piece of found art, a happening, a parody, depending on the light.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas