Abstract Expressionism, Politics and the CIA
 | Doug Brannon
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The world was changing and America along with it during the 1940's and 50's. America had come out of a devastating depression, World War II had just ended and the rise of communism and the Cold War had started. The art world was reflecting these changes. Many European artists had fled Europe to escape Nazism and settle in New York. Amidst all of this and in reaction to it, an art movement emerged which was considered uniquely American. Abstract Expressionism was this style and the artists that created it were centered in NY city. Abstract Expressionism, as you can imagine, refers to art that is abstract, non-figurative, and expressionist, nonrepresentational. They are often quite large. The artists were more interested in the creative process and in evoking an emotion. They were consciously distancing themselves from European classical and impressionistic art. There are two groups within the movement. One is the "color field" in which the artists would work with and explore the effect of blocks of color on canvas. Mark Rothko is one of the prominent artist of this type. The other is "action" in which the physical action of creating the art is of the utmost importance. Jackson Pollock and his drip paintings was the head of that group. Although this type of art had strong support amongst the intellectuals, art critics and museums, most of America, including the politicians disliked it. The irony of this is that unbeknownst to the politicians and the artists, the CIA under the guise of the Congress for Cultural Freedom arranged many exhibitions for this art in Europe. They used the art as a propaganda campaign against communism. Abstract Expressionism was used to promote the freedom of expression that could be found in the USA as opposed to the rigid barriers imposed on writers, artists and intellectuals in the USSR. Much of Europe equated this art with freedom. This style has inspired and impacted artists and their creative spirits ever since. Illustrated is Untitled VI, an acrylic painting by Doug Brannon. | 
