Art Encyclopedia - Abstract Impressionism

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Abstract Impressionism
Abstract Impressionism was coined by Elaine de Kooning to describe paintings that resemble certain late Impressionist pictures in their brushwork but have no representative content. In 1958 Lawrence Alloway used the term as the title of an exhibition he organized in London; the artists represented included Sam Francis, Patrick Heron, and Nicolas de Staël. The term has also been applied to various French abstract painters of the same period.

Abstract Impressionism is a type of abstract painting where small brushstrokes build and structure large paintings. Similar to the brushstrokes of Impressionists, such as Monet and Post-Impressionists such as van Gogh and Seurat, only tending toward abstract expressionism. The Abstract Impressionist's short and intense brushstrokes or non-traditional application of paints and textures is done slowly and with purpose, using the passage of time as an asset and a technique. Milton Resnick, Sam Francis, Richard Pousette-Dart, and Philip Guston were notable Abstract Impressionist painters during the 1950s. Canadian artist Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923-2002) helped introduce Abstract Impressionism to Paris in the 1950s.