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Their
ideas and methods were carried out in a simple and easy to
understand manner. Unlike other movements, the artists
discontinued the use of contemporary methods of painting, like
using brushstrokes to define space and shading. Instead, the
artists often used themselves and other elements as the creating
instruments for their artwork’s style. For example, the
artists would sometimes place a canvas on the floor and let the
paint drip onto the canvas strait from the can. Instead of
brushing the paint on, the artists would then step around the
canvas using his whole body to throw the paint and create an
abstract idea.
The artist's use of spacing was also different. The idea of
'shallow space' takes on an important meaning in their style. As
the artists dripped paint onto their canvases, the development
of lines and drops seem to glob together, making the different
colors appear to float on the surface. The idea was to allow
people to see different things - to see spacing and mentally
interpret multiple meanings. The final product of the artwork
would then become a combination between what the artist has
proposed, and what the spectator has chosen to see.
Like spacing, the artist’s
paintings had a sense of vagueness about them. Unlike most prior
movements, the Abstract Expressionists never intended on
finishing their artwork. They thought it would destroy the
purpose and life of the painting. Almost all their paintings had
a sense of incompleteness. They always appeared unfinished and
in state of "happening". Instead of focusing on the
final product of the painting, the artists wanted the spectator
to see the significance of his or her work while they painted.
Whatever remained after the art was finished, served only as a
past reminder of what the artist had done. The process whereby
the artist is painting is often referred to as 'Action
Painting.'
Abstract Expressionism
also had a close connection with psychology. They aimed to
achieve a psychological depth in their paintings. Sometimes this
took the form of various emotions like anguish and despair, and
other times it included happiness and joy. They believed that
the mind could create different meanings for different people.
As said earlier, most painters never intended their paintings to
be completed. Painting to them, was a living object with a power
and will of its own. They believed that the spectator would have
a choice between a conventional or pure painting, and one that
could have more meaning. They did not want to have paintings
done in the conventional sense; rather they focused on getting
away from all traditional forms.
Pollock once stated:
"I
continue to get further away from the conventional painters
tools, such as easels, palettes, brushes … I prefer sticks,
towels, and dripping fluid paint. When I am painting, I am not
aware of what I am doing. I have no fears about making change,
destroying images, because painting has a life of its own. I try
to let it come through."
The
painter merely acted as a servant and mediator to achieving the
psychological effects of combining an artist and the painting
with the viewer.
