Abstract Expressionism (1940s–1960s): Action Painting vs Color Field—Timeline, Key Works & How to Read Them

Abstract Expressionism is the moment postwar American art goes big—physically, emotionally, and historically. This guide separates the two main currents (Action Painting and Color Field), maps a clear timeline, and gives you close‑looking checklists for Pollock, de Kooning, Rothko, and Newman—all in plain English.

What is “Abstract Expressionism”?

The term describes artists who, after World War II, made abstraction the vehicle of intense feeling. Some flung and poured paint in sweeping, continuous gestures; others built radiant, contemplative fields of color. Either way, the painting isn’t a picture of something—it’s a record of making and a stage for perception itself (see the concise MoMA overview for a student‑friendly definition). Museum of Modern Art: Abstract Expressionism.

The two tendencies: Action Painting vs Color Field

Museums and scholars often describe these as two emphases within one movement rather than rigid camps (see the Guggenheim’s movement page for succinct framing). Guggenheim: Abstract Expressionism.

Origins & a quick timeline (1938–1966)

AbEx doesn’t spring from nowhere. It absorbs earlier modern art and the psychic experiments of the 1910s–30s, then upscales it for a postwar world.

• 1938–42: Clyfford Still pushes toward radical abstraction earlier than most peers. War looms; artists absorb European modernism and American regional traditions. (Background on Expressionist roots: Expressionism, Explained.)
• Early 1940s: Surrealist exiles in New York share automatism (chance, free association), catalyzing new approaches to process and the unconscious. See our Surrealism timeline for definitions.
• 1943–46: Jackson Pollock experiments with poured enamel on the floor in his East Hampton barn; Arshile Gorky synthesizes biomorphic forms and personal myth.
• 1947–50: Pollock develops all‑over drip paintings; Lee Krasner’s collages and paintings show a rigorous, modernist intelligence guiding gesture.
• 1950–52: Willem de Kooning paints the ferocious Woman I; critical debates sharpen (Greenberg’s formal purity vs. Rosenberg’s “action painting”).
• 1950–55: Color Field strategies crystallize in Rothkoʼs stacked rectangles, Newmanʼs “zips,” and Stillʼs jagged chroma fields.
• Late 1950s–early 60s: Younger artists diverge; Minimalism and Pop Art emerge (for the latter’s pivot to mass media, see our Pop Art guide).
• 1966: New currents (Minimal, Conceptual) eclipse AbEx’s dominance, but its scale, materials, and mentality permanently alter studio practice and museum display.

For a reliable scholarly overview—with dates, artists, and terms—consult the Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline essay. The Met: Abstract Expressionism.

Toolbox: materials, methods, and scale

• Drip & pour: House enamel and thinned oil allowed Pollock to draw in air—gravity became a collaborator.
• Unprimed canvas: Paint stains into the weave; color and support merge (a base logic later central to stain painting).
• Palette knives & masking: From de Kooning’s scraped revisions to Newman’s taped “zips,” tools shape edge and atmosphere.
• Monumental scale: AbEx is an embodied art—the viewer’s distance, breathing, and movement are part of the work.

Close‑looking: four key works you can “read”

1) Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31, 1950 (1950)

Stand back to take in the architectural width, then step close: the web resolves into distinct pours and speeds—slow, syrupy lines versus dry, flicked skeins. Look for small interruptions (cigarette ash, a footprint) that ground the grand gesture in studio reality. The all‑over field means there’s no single focal point; instead, rhythm is the subject.

2) Willem de Kooning, Woman I (1950–52)

Don’t let the title fool you—this isn’t portraiture in any conventional sense. De Kooning paints, scrapes, and repaints until figure and field lock into a dynamic stalemate. Angular teeth, staring eyes, and a sash of color read both as body and brushstroke. This is Action Painting’s drama: the image is the record of decisions under pressure. (To contrast with earlier modern “fracture,” revisit our Cubism explainer.)

3) Mark Rothko, No. 14, 1960

At first glance: two rectangles (orange above deep blue) hovering in a violet field. Give it time. Rothko’s edges breathe—the paint thins and thickens where colors touch, creating a soft glow that seems to press toward you as your eyes adjust. This is Color Field’s “quiet drama”: perception, not imagery, does the talking.

Tip: If a Rothko looks monochrome, stay with it. Let your eyes adjust to low‑contrast edges; step to the side and slowly forward. The painting changes with your body. For the chapel context, see the Rothko Chapel’s background.

4) Barnett Newman, Vir Heroicus Sublimis (1950–51)

Newman’s vertical “zips” are not stripes-as-decoration but spatial events. Try this: plant your feet centered on a zip; then shift to align with the next. The red field stabilizes, then destabilizes—the painting choreographs how you sense scale. The title (“Man, heroic and sublime”) signals ambition: to reconnect painting with profound feeling without old narratives.

Diverse pioneers: more than a few names

• Lee Krasner: From tight collages to sweeping canvases, she shows Action Painting’s discipline as well as its freedom.
• Norman Lewis: A vital Black voice in AbEx; his nocturnal abstractions carry social undercurrents through luminous swarms and signals.
• Joan Mitchell: Lyrical structure; brushwork that feels like weather rolling across the surface.
• Clyfford Still: Monumental color “rifts” that feel torn from the canvas—see the Clyfford Still Museum’s AbEx primer for his role in setting the tone for scale and seriousness.

Why AbEx mattered—and what followed

Abstract Expressionism brought New York to the center of modern art. It reframed painting as space you enter, not just an image you view. Its afterlives are everywhere: Minimalism refined scale and clarity; Pop Art flipped to the cool language of media (for that pivot, see our Pop Art guide). For a reliable, single‑page survey of the movement’s arc, the Met’s Heilbrunn essay is gold: The Met: Abstract Expressionism.

How to read Abstract Expressionism in a museum (5 steps)

1. Check the distance: Start further back than feels normal; then move in slowly.
2. Find the making: Look for drips, scrapes, feathered edges, or taped lines—clues to process.
3. Scan for rhythm: Is the surface evenly “charged,” or do fields of calm interrupt the storm?
4. Time your looking: Give it a full minute. Color Field especially needs time to “bloom.”
5. Read the label last: Let your eye do the first draft; let the label confirm, not dictate.

Study images & visual context

Further reading (curated)

• MoMA: Abstract Expressionism (definitions & materials).
• Guggenheim: Movement overview (artists & themes).
• The Art Story: Abstract Expressionism (student‑friendly survey).

FAQ

What does “Abstract Expressionism” mean in simple terms?

It’s post‑WWII art where the act of painting (gesture, scale, color) becomes the subject. Some artists fling paint in energetic webs; others create quiet, immersive fields of color.

How do I tell Action Painting from Color Field?

Action Painting shows visible, athletic marks and all‑over energy. Color Field uses large, simplified areas of color that build mood and perception over time.

Why are the canvases so big?

Scale changes how your body perceives color and gesture. AbEx paintings ask you to step back, then forward—they’re experiences as much as images.

Which works should I know first?

Pollock’s One: Number 31, 1950, de Kooning’s Woman I, Rothko’s No. 14, 1960, Newman’s Vir Heroicus Sublimis. Learn to read one from each tendency.

What came after Abstract Expressionism?

Minimalism streamlined form and space; Pop Art turned to mass media. Both react to AbEx while borrowing its scale and clarity.

How did earlier movements set the stage?

Expressionism’s emotion, Cubism’s structure, and Surrealism’s automatism all fed into AbEx—see our beginner guides linked above.

Like looking at this kind of work day‑to‑day?

If you enjoy living with abstraction—from gestural brushwork to calm color fields—explore our curated Abstract & Geometric Wall Art collection for pieces that echo the movement’s materials, palettes, and rhythm.

Image credits & study links

• Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31, 1950 (MoMA). Photo by RakoonDraagon, CC BY‑SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons (direct file delivery via Special:FilePath).
• Barnett Newman, Vir Heroicus Sublimis (MoMA). Installation photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
• Rothko Chapel interior, Houston. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
• Barnett Newman, Broken Obelisk, Rothko Chapel campus. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Further reading: The Met (Heilbrunn Timeline), MoMA term overview, Guggenheim.