Abstract Expressionism

Mood marks: The painterly gestures of personal feelings Hailed as the first American-born art movement to have a worldwide influence, Abstract Expressionismdenotes the non-representational use of paint as a means of personal expression. It emerged in America in the 1940s, with lead protagonists includingJackson Pollock, Philip Guston, Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, andWillem de Kooning.Abstract Expressionism spawned many different stylistic tendencies but two particularly prominent sub-categories: action painting, exemplified by de Kooning and Pollock, and color field painting, made most famous by Rothko. Throughout, Abstract Expressionists strove to conveyemotions and ideas through the making of marks, through forms, textures, shades, and the particular quality of brushstrokes. The movement favored large-scale canvases, and embraced the role of accident or chance.With featured works from 20 key Abstract Expressionist artists, this book introduces the movement whichshifted the center of art gravity from Paris to New Yorkand remains for many the golden moment of American art.