Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism developed in the aftermath of World War II as a powerful new approach to painting that emphasized spontaneity, scale, and emotional intensity. Artists working in this spirit treated the canvas as a space for direct engagement, favoring gesture, expansive color fields, and non-representational forms. As a defining movement of post-war modern art, Abstract Expressionism helped reshape painting as an immediate expression of inner experience and contributed to the broader international shift toward expressive abstraction in the mid-20th century.