Abstract Expressionism, Postmodernism and Deconstructivism

Abstract Expressionism is an American post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York in the 1940s. As Harold Rosenberg explained: the work of art becomes an "event." For this reason, he dubbed this movement Action Painting in 1952. Paintings were often made of shapes, lines, and forms not meant to depict a "reality" from the visible world. They believed that non-representational painting could express spiritual and emotional truths in the most direct way. These artists often used a spontaneous and physical process in order to present an immediate response to emotion. They found their mentors in many of the artists who fled Europe during World War II for America. Piet Mondrian and Max Ernst were both important influences representing the revolutionary spirit of the artist and a break from traditional painting. 

Well-known art includes:

Moby Dick


Mark Rothko's water painting



Postmodernism is a term which describes the postmodernist movement in the arts, its set of cultural tendencies and associated cultural movements. Although this term enjoys widespread usage, there is disagreement among critics about whether postmodern art actually exists as a distinct movement or whether it is simply a later phase of modern art. Dates that have been proposed as marking the beginning of the postmodern movement include 1914 in Europe and 1962 or 1968 in the United States. Trends in postmodern art include pastiche, appropriation and the use of an ironic affect. 

Deconstructivism is a development of postmodern architecture that began in the late 1980s. Deconstructivism is influenced by the theory of Deconstruction, which is a form of  semiotic analysis. It is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure's surface or skin.

Andy Worhol's 

Galaxy Soho