Abstract Expressionism was an American post-World War II art movement between 1946-1960. It was characterized as spontaneous, focusing on the inner psyche through unconventional and informal abstract works using energetic gesture, as seen in the drip paintings of Jackson Pollock and broad brushstrokes of Franz Kline. The movement asserted that art is an adventure of the imagination opposed to common sense, with the subject being critical to authentic self-expression.