Abstract painting allows you to work fast and loose, creating vivid, alive pieces of work.
If you want to create abstract expressionist art, there are several techniques, ideas and methodologies you must learn before you can understand this modern art movement. Abstract expressionist art strikes directly at the heart of things, giving artists the liberation to explore their emotions and convey their personal interaction with art. Play, explore and enjoy the freedom this art form gives you.
Instructions
1. Study the history of abstract expressionist art movement and the artists involved with it. Grounding yourself in the theories and philosophies of the original expressionists will help to strengthen your own understanding of abstract expressionism when you approach the canvas. According to the University of Iowa Museum of Art, the abstract expressionist movement began in New York in the 1940s and 1950s, beginning with painters like Hans Hofmann, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Convinced that art was facing a crisis, and influenced by political leftist ideologies of the time, each artist experimented and sought to find a freer and more liberated way to express meaning and convey emotion.
2. Plan your work ahead of time. Abstract expressionism is not a representational art form, and is intended to capture the energy, emotion and impression of a subject. Lisa Cyr, painter and author of "Art Evolution," states that abstract expressionism asserts the painting, the painting process and the artist's role as the painter are the subject of the art, rather than more tangible objects, landscapes or people outside of the artist. You do not need to sketch and render realistic images of a subject, but you do need to experiment, plan and think through the ideas you wish to convey, and how best to do them. Combine spontaneity with forethought and vision.
3. Experiment with action painting. The Museum of Modern Art indicates that action painting is a term used to describe paintings created with an impulsive, bold and spontaneous style. When rendering a physical subject into an abstract expressionist painting, capture it with strong, fast brush strokes. Try several quick sketches or paintings to begin with to get into the feeling of action painting. For example, sketch a person in 30 seconds. Forget attempting to represent anything with mathematical or anatomical accuracy. Capture the emotions, ideas and energy your subject evokes inside of you as you look at it and study it. Communicate your reaction to the ocean, to the waves and to the sea without attempting to accurately portray the ripples, the foam or the shoreline.
4. Use liquid paint dripping on your art. In an online article published by The Nation on January 7, 1999, art critic Arthur C. Danto reports that dripping is a painting technique devised and made popular by the famous expressionist Jackson Pollock, which can be utilized to create a wide variety of effects. Spread newspapers around the floor of your workspace to avoid accidents with your paint. Lay canvas, paper or board flat onto the ground. Using pieces of wood or hardened brushes, flick or drip liquid paint onto the surface. For this purpose, you probably need to use enamel household or industrial paint, as traditional oil paints are too thick. Experiment with different colors and color combinations. Use dripping to obscure images and shapes within the painting, or like Pollock, create dense arrays of swirling, emotional colors.
