Abstract Expressionism Versus Pop Art

Unlike Pop Art, Abstract Expressionism deals with distortion rather than presenting natural images.. “Breaking away from accepted conventions in both technique and subject matter, the artists made monumentally scaled works that stood as reflections of their individual psyches—and in doing so, attempted to tap into universal inner sources.” (MET). The origins of Abstract Expressionism stems from two popular art movements during the Great Depression : Regionalism and Social Realism and the introduction to European modernism. After the economical hit, Abstract Expressionist were seen as the first to introduce American avant-garde and with political instability in Europe, many Surrealists moved to New York where the Abstract Expressionist were

In Pollock’s painting, the compilation of colors are seen not as brush strokes but through drips. From edge to edge, the freedom of the drips hints toward a chaotic nature, where the drips are sporadic in different lengths and

Pop art allows audiences to take their daily lives and experience it through an artistic matter. Taking popular images such as Marilyn Monroe or Campbell’s Soup and reconstructing and redefining them for humorous or ironic reasons was the essential element for Pop art which ultimately made viewers redefine such mundane objects and recreated their purposes. With Abstract Expressionism, it alludes to multiple meanings based one’s emotions. Where as Pop art deals with popular imagery, Abstract Expressionism dealt with the minds exploration to create a meaning out of simplistic images. People often have the desire to create a narrative in abstract paintings but looking at Rothko’s work, there appears to be no pattern structure or narration. It allows for democratic viewership for there is multiple ways one can view Rothko and other Abstract Expressionist works. Both art movements were highly controversial and had their own particular target audiences but yet dealt with creating an emotional, societal and psychological meaning beyond just lines and strokes on