Action Painting
A way of painting where the artist moves their whole body to make energetic, spontaneous marks.
What is it?
Action painting is a technique used by Abstract Expressionist artists. Instead of carefully planning a painting, the artist lets their body move freely. They might drip, splash, or fling paint onto the canvas. The painting captures the energy of the artist's movements. Jackson Pollock is famous for action painting — he put his canvas on the floor and dripped paint from above. The child's reflection mentions dynamic brushstrokes, which is a key feature of action painting.
Why it matters
Action painting showed that the process of making art could be just as important as the finished piece. It made painting feel like a performance.
Where you've seen it
This list grows as you capture more action paintings.