__NOTOC__ Tachisme (alternative spelling: Tachism, derived from the French word ''tache'', stain; ) is a French style of abstract

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The term is said to have been first used with regards to the movement in 1951.Ian Chilvers (2004
''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''
Oxford University Press It is often considered to be the European response and equivalent to

abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism in the United States emerged as a distinct art movement in the aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s, a shift from the American social realism of the 1930s influenced by the Great Depressi ...

, although there are stylistic differences (American abstract expressionism tended to be more "aggressively raw" than tachisme). It was part of a larger postwar movement known as

Art Informel Informalism or Art Informel () is a pictorial movement from the 1943–1950s, that includes all the abstract and gestural tendencies that developed in France and the rest of Europe during the World War II, similar to American abstract express ...

(or ''Informel''), which abandoned geometric abstraction in favour of a more intuitive form of expression, similar to

action painting Action painting, sometimes called "gestural abstraction", is a style of painting in which paint is spontaneously dribbled, splashed or smeared onto the canvas, rather than being carefully applied. The resulting work often emphasizes the physical ...

. Another name for Tachism is Abstraction lyrique (related to American

Lyrical Abstraction Lyrical abstraction arose from either of two related but distinct art movement, trends in Post-war Modernist painting: * European ''Abstraction Lyrique'': a movement that emerged in Paris, with the French art critic Jean José Marchand being cr ...

COBRA COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...

is also related to Tachisme, as is Japan's

Gutai group The was a Japanese avant-garde artist group founded in the Hanshin region by young artists under the leadership of the painter Jirō Yoshihara in Ashiya, Japan, in 1954. It operated until shortly after Yoshihara's death in 1972. The group, tod ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the term

School of Paris The School of Paris (, ) refers to the French and émigré artists who worked in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. The School of Paris was not a single art movement or institution, but refers to the importance of Paris as a centre o ...

often referred to Tachisme, the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an equivalent of American abstract expressionism. Important proponents were Jean-Paul Riopelle,

Wols WOLS (106.1 MHz) is a Regional Mexican radio station, owned by Norsan Media. Licensed to Waxhaw, North Carolina, the station identifies itself as “La Raza 106.1”. The station’s studios are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the tra ...

Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (; 31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French Painting, painter and sculpture, sculptor of the School of Paris, École de Paris (School of Paris). His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" a ...

, Pierre Soulages,

Nicolas de Staël Nicolas de Staël (; January 5, 1914 – March 16, 1955) was a French painter of Russian origin known for his use of a thick impasto and his highly abstract landscape painting. He also worked with collage, illustration and textiles. Early li ...

Hans Hartung Hans Hartung (21 September 1904 – 7 December 1989) was a German-French painter, known for his gestural abstract style. He was also a decorated World War II veteran of the Legion d'honneur. Life Hartung was born in Leipzig, Germany, into an ...

, Gérard Schneider,

Serge Poliakoff Serge Poliakoff (January 8, 1900 – October 12, 1969) was a Russian-born French modernist painter belonging to the 'New' École de Paris ( Tachisme). Biography Serge Poliakoff was born in Moscow in 1900, the thirteenth of fourteen children. H ...

Georges Mathieu Georges Mathieu (27 January 1921 – 10 June 2012) was a French abstract painter, art theorist, and member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He is considered one of the fathers of European lyrical abstraction, a trend of informalism. B ...

and Jean Messagier, among several others. (See list of artists below.) According to Chilvers, the term ''tachisme'' "was first used in this sense in about 1951 (the French critics Charles Estienne and Pierre Guéguen have each been credited with coining it) and it was given wide currency by rench critic and painter

Michel Tapié Michel Tapié de Céleyran (; 26 February 1909 – 30 July 1987) was a French art critic, curator, and collector. He was an early and influential theorist and practitioner of "tachisme", a French style of abstract painting popular in the 1940s a ...

in his book ''Un Art autre'' (1952)." Tachisme was a reaction to

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

and is characterized by spontaneous brushwork, drips and blobs of paint straight from the tube, and sometimes scribbling reminiscent of

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

. Tachisme is closely related to Informalism or Art Informel, which, in its 1950s French art-critical context, referred not so much to a sense of "informal art" as "a lack or absence of form itself"–non-formal or un-form-ulated–and not a simple reduction of formality or formalness. Art Informel was more about the absence of premeditated structure, conception or approach (''sans cérémonie'') than a mere casual, loosened or relaxed art procedure.Troy Dean Harris
A Note on Art Informel. 2009, Bauddhamata 11.6.09.

Artists

* Pierre Alechinsky (born 1927) – Cobra group *

Karel Appel Christiaan Karel Appel (; 25 April 1921 – 3 May 2006) was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s. He was one of the founders of the avant-gard ...

(1921–2006) – Cobra group *

Frank Avray Wilson Frank Avray Wilson (3 May 1914 – 1 January 2009) was a British artist, author and vegetarian. He was one of the first British artists to use Tachist or action painting techniques.

(1914–2009) * Jean René Bazaine (1904–2001) * Roger Bissière (1888–1964) *

Ferruccio Bortoluzzi Ferruccio Bortoluzzi (December 6, 1920 – May 25, 2007) was an Italian modern painter, he was one of the founders of the ''Centro di Unità della Cultura L'Arco'' together with venetian artists and writers. Biography Born in Venice in 19 ...

(1920–2007) * Norman Bluhm (1921–1999) – American associated with this movement * Bram Bogart (1921–2012) – Cobra group * Alexander Bogen (1916–2010) * Denis Bowen (1921–2006) * Camille Bryen (1907–1977) *

Alberto Burri Alberto Burri (12 March 191513 February 1995; ) was an Italian visual artist, painter, sculptor, and physician based in Città di Castello. He is associated with the matterism of the European informal art movement and described his style as ...

(1915–1995) * Beauford Delaney (1901–1979) – American associated with this movement *

(1901–1985) * Agenore Fabbri (1911–1998) *

Jean Fautrier Jean Fautrier (; May 16, 1898 – July 21, 1964) was a French painter, illustrator, printmaker, and sculptor. He was one of the most important practitioners of Tachisme. Early life Jean Fautrier was born in Paris in 1898. He was given his unwed ...

(1898–1964) *

Lucio Fontana Lucio Fontana (; 19 February 1899 – 7 September 1968) was an Italian Argentines, Argentine-Italian painter, sculptor, and theorist. He is known as the founder of Spatialism and exponent of Abstract art, abstract painting as the f ...

(1899–1968) * Sam Francis (1923–1994) – American associated with this movement * Elaine Hamilton (1920–2010) – American associate of Tapié, influenced by this movement *

(1904–1989) *

Jacques Hérold Jacques Hérold (born Herold Blumer; 10 October 191011 January 1987) was a prominent Surrealism, surrealist painter born in Piatra Neamț, Romania. Biography Considered one of the most important late-period Surrealism, Surrealist painters, Hér ...

(1910–1987) * Laurent Jiménez-Balaguer (born 1928) * Paul Jenkins (1923–2012) – American associated with this movement *

Asger Jorn Asger Oluf Jorn (3 March 1914 – 1 May 1973) was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International. The largest collection of Jorn's works� ...

(1914–1973) – Cobra group *

Karel Kuklík Karel Kuklík (March 7, 1937, Prague, Czechoslovakia – August 18, 2019, Prague) was a Czech photographer and one of the representatives of Informel in Czech fine art photography. He was classified as an artist influenced by abstract and Surrea ...

(1937–2019) – Czech photographer regarded as a representative of Informel in photography. * Joseph Lacasse (1894–1975) * René Laubies (1922–2006) * André Lanskoy (1902–1976) * François Lanzi (1916–1988) * Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) *

(1921–2012) * Jean Messagier (1920–1999) * Henri Michaux (1899–1984) * Jean Miotte (born 1926) * Ludwig Merwart (1913–1979) * Zoran Mušič (1909–2005) * Ernst Wilhelm Nay (1902–1968) – German influenced by this movement * Gen Paul (1895–1975) *

(1900–1969) * Marie Raymond (1908–1989) * Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923–2002) * Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908–1992) * Emilio Scanavino (1922–1986) * Gérard Schneider (1896–1986) * Emil Schumacher (1912–1999) * Pierre Soulages (1919–2022) *

(1914–1955) *

Pierre Tal-Coat Pierre Tal-Coat (real name Pierre Louis Jacob; 1905–1985) was a French artist considered to be one of the founders of Tachisme. Life and work He was born the son of a fisherman, in the village of Clohars-Carnoët, Finistère in 1905. He atten ...

(1905–1985) - French *

(1909–1987) *

Antoni Tàpies Antoni Tàpies i Puig, 1st Marquess of Tápies, Marquess of Tàpies (; 13 December 1923 – 6 February 2012) was a Catalans, Catalan painter, sculptor, and art theorist. Life The son of Josep Tàpies i Mestre and Maria Puig i Guerra, Antoni T ...

(1923–2012) * Bram van Velde (1895–1981) * Louis Van Lint (1909–1986) * François Willi Wendt (1909–1970) *

(Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze) (1913–1951) * Zao Wou Ki (1921–2013)

Notes

References

*Chilvers, Ian
''A dictionary of twentieth-century art''

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

;

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Press, 1998 *Tapié, Michel
''Un art autre où il s'agit de nouveaux dévidages du réel'

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, Gabriel-Giraud et fils, 1952

OCLC OCLC, Inc. See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was founded in 1967 as the ...

1110556 *Tiampo, Ming. ''Gutai and Informel Post-war art in Japan and France, 1945—1965''. (Worldcat link

(Dissertation Abstracts International, 65-01A) , {{Authority control Art Informel and Tachisme, French art movements Abstract expressionism Contemporary art movements French contemporary art School of Paris