Thinking of giving art for Christmas?

Explore our gift guide

Gestural Abstraction

The phrase gestural abstraction refers to a way of making art - not what necessarily gets painted, but how it does.  By abandoning the application of paint to a surface in a controlled and premeditated way, gestural painters apply paint intuitively, physically, by dripping, splattering, pouring, smearing or throwing it at the surface itself. What matters to the gestural abstraction painters then isn't the paint but the physicality, honesty, intuition and deep personal expression. This in turn leads to the artist abandoning a focus on subject matter, turning inward for inspiration. As such, the act of painting itself becomes the subject. Willem de Kooning, Lee Krasner and Franz Kline led this movement from the 1940s onwards, with Jackson Pollock undoubtedly being the most notable with his pierced paint tins, dripping across the surface of Number 1A, 1948 (1948).  Abstract gestural painters explore their deepest emotions and they express that part of themselves during the physical act of painting. Pollock would later note that he had no fears about making changes to a painting, because, he said, the work has a life of its own. The painting itself is a relic of the action, it is a recording of the gestures made. Still influencing artists today, the likes of Caroline Vis and Sebastien Desnos (s3b desnos) both reference Pollock in their work, either echoing the expression of emotion or indeed as Desnos puts it, “action painting."

Read more
Painting, Tecktonik, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 50 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 19.7 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,387 $1,110

Painting, Graff de rue, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$1,040

Painting, Graff de rue, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 50 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 19.7 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,329

Painting, Mod' up, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$1,387

Painting, Le Cyclo, Cosmos

Cosmos

Painting . 150 x 200 x 3.2 cm Painting . 59.1 x 78.7 x 1.3 inch

$14,563

Painting, Volupté, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 130 x 97 x 2 cm Painting . 51.2 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch

$1,722

Painting, Flux, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$1,040

Painting, Suspension, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$925

Painting, Origin, Newel Hunter

Newel Hunter

Painting . 61 x 45.7 x 0.8 cm Painting . 24 x 18 x 0.3 inch

$2,467

Painting, Intercession, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,607

Painting, Métamorphose, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,734 $1,560

Painting, Cadence, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$1,040 $832

Painting, Splendide, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,722 $1,378

Painting, Powerful, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 50 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 19.7 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,271 $1,017

Painting, Hope, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting . 40 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$925 $832

Painting, Démiurge, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 130 x 195 x 2 cm Painting . 51.2 x 76.8 x 0.8 inch

$2,427

Painting, Fondu II, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting . 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$925

Painting, Fondu I, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting . 40 x 29 x 2 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.4 x 0.8 inch

$925

Painting, Sans titre, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting . 50 x 60 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch

$1,156

Painting, Méchoui, Said Ouarzaz

Said Ouarzaz

Painting . 28 x 21 x 0.3 cm Painting . 11 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch

$1,156

Painting, Prussian Blue 12, Gina Vor

Gina Vor

Painting . 30 x 24 x 0.3 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.1 inch

$231

Painting, Street art, Mr Garcia

Mr Garcia

Painting . 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

$347

Painting, Shadow, Darlene Watson

Darlene Watson

Painting . 203.2 x 292.1 x 5.1 cm Painting . 80 x 115 x 2 inch

$19,294

Painting, Sans titre 26, Arsène Odin

Arsène Odin

Painting . 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$462

Painting, Sauvage, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,734

Painting, Grey, Aloyzas Smilingis

Aloyzas Smilingis

Painting . 122 x 91 x 0.3 cm Painting . 48 x 35.8 x 0.1 inch

$6,473

Painting, Box 25.04, Eric Robin

Eric Robin

Painting . 24 x 24 x 3 cm Painting . 9.4 x 9.4 x 1.2 inch

$462

Painting, Sweet sunshine I, H-Nguyen

H-Nguyen

Painting . 73 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$2,612

Painting, Agitation, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 79 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 31.1 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$1,605 $1,446

Painting, Horizon 2, Gina Vor

Gina Vor

Painting . 30 x 24 x 0.4 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.2 inch

$231

Painting, Windy, Stanislav Bojankov

Stanislav Bojankov

Painting . 85 x 93 x 1 cm Painting . 33.5 x 36.6 x 0.4 inch

$2,254

Painting, Black sails, Marco Saporiti

Marco Saporiti

Painting . 60 x 60 x 1.5 cm Painting . 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.6 inch

$324

Painting, Le Monde XXX, Caroline Vis

Caroline Vis

Painting . 200 x 200 x 3 cm Painting . 78.7 x 78.7 x 1.2 inch

$14,448

Painting, About fear, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting . 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,734

Painting, Geisha, Newel Hunter

Newel Hunter

Painting . 61 x 45.7 x 0.8 cm Painting . 24 x 18 x 0.3 inch

$2,467

Painting, Morning Fire, Nestor Toro

Nestor Toro

Painting . 50.8 x 40.6 x 1.8 cm Painting . 20 x 16 x 0.7 inch

$1,095

Painting, Erosion II, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting . 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$925

Fine Art Drawings, Danse, Claire Bonnet-Masimbert

Claire Bonnet-Masimbert

Fine Art Drawings . 65 x 50 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$578

Painting, Abstract No. 94, Gina Vor

Gina Vor

Painting . 39.5 x 29.5 x 0.3 cm Painting . 15.6 x 11.6 x 0.1 inch

$231

Painting, Aïka, Muriel Deumie

Muriel Deumie

Painting . 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$1,026 $873

Painting, Rio, Bald

Rio

Bald

Painting . 120 x 39.5 x 2 cm Painting . 47.2 x 15.6 x 0.8 inch

$2,104

Painting, Horizon 1, Gina Vor

Gina Vor

Painting . 30 x 24 x 0.3 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.1 inch

$231

Painting, La Metamorphose, Cosmos

Cosmos

Painting . 170 x 230 x 3.5 cm Painting . 66.9 x 90.6 x 1.4 inch

$18,147

Painting, Translucide, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting . 40 x 50 x 4 cm Painting . 15.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

$3,236

Painting, Feeling good, H-Nguyen

H-Nguyen

Painting . 95 x 95 x 3 cm Painting . 37.4 x 37.4 x 1.2 inch

$2,173