Meanings
nounaction painting (countable and uncountable, plural action paintings)
plural action paintings
- uncountableartA genre of modern art in which the paint is dribbled, splashed or poured onto the canvas to obtain a spontaneous and totally abstract image.
- countableartA painting produced in this style.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna New York school of painting characterized by freely created abstractions; the first important school of American painting to develop independently of European styles
Similar
Broader
artistic movementart movement
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Finnish toimintamaalaus
- toimintamaalausgenre of modern art in which the paint is dribbled, splashed or poured onto the canvas
Irish beo-phéintéireacht
- beo-phéintéireachtgenre of modern art in which the paint is dribbled, splashed or poured onto the canvas
Polish action painting
- action paintinggenre of modern art in which the paint is dribbled, splashed or poured onto the canvas
Portuguese pintura gestual, gestualismo
- pintura gestualgenre of modern art in which the paint is dribbled, splashed or poured onto the canvas
- gestualismogenre of modern art in which the paint is dribbled, splashed or poured onto the canvas
Cite this entry
APA
action painting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20painting
MLA
“action painting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20painting. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “action painting,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/action%20painting.
Source: action painting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.