The Oxford Dictionary of Art

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Abstract Impressionism

Abstract Impressionism.
A term coined by Elaine de Kooning to describe paintings that resemble certain late Impressionist pictures (notably those of Monet) in their brushwork but have no representative content: ‘Retaining the quiet uniform pattern of strokes that spread over the canvas without climax or emphasis, these followers keep the Impressionist manner of looking at a scene but leave out the scene.’ In 1958 Lawrence Alloway used the term as the title of an exhibition he organized in London; the artists represented included Sam Francis, Patrick Heron, and Nicolas de Staël. The term has also been applied to various French abstract painters of the same period, for example Manessier.

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