action painting

or Action Painting

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. 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 Also calledtachisme See also abstract expressionism

Other Words From

• action painter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of action painting¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55