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, Art water, Âme Sauvage

Âme Sauvage

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$1,469

Painting, No rules, Nikolaos Schizas

Nikolaos Schizas

Painting - 55 x 55 x 3 cm Painting - 21.7 x 21.7 x 1.2 inch

$2,367

Painting, Paysage rosé, H-Nguyen

H-Nguyen

Painting - 75 x 115 cm Painting - 29.5 x 45.3 inch

$1,713

Painting, Still Life, Laura Newman

Laura Newman

Painting - 102 x 76 cm Painting - 40.2 x 29.9 inch

$8,006

Painting, Imagination, Gina Vor

Gina Vor

Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$979

Painting, City 4, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$3,060

Painting, Dans Mon Jardin, Aude De Voc

Aude De Voc

Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

$1,836

Painting, Steven, Mark Hellbusch

Mark Hellbusch

Painting - 70 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,101

Painting, NotWithstanding, Kris Haas

Kris Haas

Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 2 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.8 inch

$1,015

Painting, Almaz, Eric Robin

Eric Robin

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

$2,019

Painting, Composition, Antoni Amat

Antoni Amat

Painting - 75 x 60 x 4 cm Painting - 29.5 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch

$1,591

Painting, Pixels, Tic

Tic

Painting - 140 x 140 x 0.1 cm Painting - 55.1 x 55.1 x 0 inch

$2,203

Painting, Waves, Juliana Haggoo

Juliana Haggoo

Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

$2,937

Painting, Lavender, Marco Saporiti

Marco Saporiti

Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$306

Painting, Gold rain, Arsène Odin

Arsène Odin

Painting - 115 x 75 x 2 cm Painting - 45.3 x 29.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,101

Painting, Soulages, Rafael Sliks

Rafael Sliks

Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

$7,955

Painting, All Night Long, Cosmos

Cosmos

Painting - 146 x 114 x 3.5 cm Painting - 57.5 x 44.9 x 1.4 inch

$9,056

Painting, The Old Ways,, Newel Hunter

Newel Hunter

Painting - 61 x 45.7 x 0.3 cm Painting - 24 x 18 x 0.1 inch

$2,050

Painting, Devotion, Caroline Vis

Caroline Vis

Painting - 100 x 210 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 82.7 x 0.8 inch

$6,119

Painting, Rebel fluid, Jo Sada

Jo Sada

Painting - 40 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch

$135

Painting, Rorschach, Bald

Bald

Painting - 46 x 61 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 24 x 0.8 inch

$1,346

Painting, Sans titre, Pasturo

Pasturo

Painting - 115 x 150 x 3 cm Painting - 45.3 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch

$5,140

Painting, Expansion, Eliana Sá

Eliana Sá

Painting - 89 x 116 x 2 cm Painting - 35 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,591

Painting, YEN DHELL, Morko

Morko

Painting - 110 x 70 x 0.1 cm Painting - 43.3 x 27.6 x 0 inch

$1,248

Painting, Dive in Pi, VeraD

VeraD

Painting - 80 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$2,203

Painting, Ahmar, Said Ouarzaz

Said Ouarzaz

Painting - 36 x 40 x 3 cm Painting - 14.2 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch

$967

Painting, N° 21.34 Energie, Isa-L

Isa-L

Painting - 100 x 65 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch

$7,343

Painting, Endles IV, Lia Van Leeuwen

Lia Van Leeuwen

Painting - 100 x 100 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.6 inch

$2,570

Painting, Underground Spirit, Bonus

Bonus

Painting - 110 x 110 x 2 cm Painting - 43.3 x 43.3 x 0.8 inch

$6,731

Painting, Bleu intense, Âme Sauvage

Âme Sauvage

Painting - 100 x 150 x 0.1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0 inch

$1,591

1/70