Action painting
is an abstract style of art also called "gestural abstraction”, a form of
abstract expressionism. Instead
of careful or meticulous application, the artist energetically rubs, drips, or
splashes paint onto a surface. It is a very physical form of abstract art. In
fact, it is often an extremely messy process. Of all the abstract styles of
painting, it is probably the easiest to explain to someone who “just doesn’t
get it” when it comes to non-representational works. The intensity of the
process could compare to how it feels when you were five years old and going
wild with the 64-count box of crayons. Maybe you were try to draw a flower, but
getting it “right” was not mattering that much. It was just fun. Then sometimes
you were super mad at your big sister or someone like that, and grinding that
big red crayon into the paper felt super great. Action painting is like that.
This energetic mode of creating in the abstract process was certainly an
expression of the times. The period flourished from the 40’s to the 60’s, in
the birthing decades of fast cars, jet planes, nuclear physics, and rocket
ships. Motivated by the ideas being born of exploring the subconscious mind,
the automatism of the style gave a raw expression of intense emotional
energy felt during these years. Artists were beginning to grasp a need to
explore and feel emotions more deeply, on a subconscious level, and opened to
all the extremes of late and post WW II, and the Cold War. Social norms were
being scrutinized and dissolving rapidly. The Civil Rights Movement was coming
into first full bloom in the US.
Several issues were hard to face, and many action abstract paintings feel like
the qualities of pollution, darkness,
and dismantling. The use of alcohol and
other substances were common in cultivating this highly expressionistic
abstract art.
Some of the most notable action painters:
Franz Kline
Willem de Kooning
Lee Krasner
Joan Mitchell
Jackson Pollock
