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How did Abstract Expressionism emphasize paint handling and artistic action?
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Western painting
Self-Portrait, oil on canvas by Judith Leyster, c. 1630; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Abstract Expressionism, particularly the approach known as Action painting, emphasized paint handling and artistic action by treating the canvas as an arena for an event rather than a space for reproducing objects. This movement prioritized the act of painting itself as a significant creative interaction between the artist and their materials.12
Key aspects of this emphasis include:
- Spontaneous Gesture: Artists utilized vigorous, sweeping, or slashing brushstrokes and techniques such as dripping or spilling paint directly onto the canvas. This process allowed painters to record the force and scope of their physical gestures.134
- Psychic Improvisation: Influenced by the Surrealist concept of automatism, artists sought to give free play to their instinctive creative forces, bypassing conscious control to reveal the unconscious mind.13
- Materiality: There was a deliberate exploitation of the variable physical character of paint—such as its sensuousness, violence, or dynamism—to evoke emotional qualities.3
- The Canvas as Event: As critic Harold Rosenberg noted, the canvas became a site where the artist acted, making the finished work a record of that performance.2