Tachisme

Tachisme (alternatively spelled Tachism), a term derived from the French word tache (meaning stain; French pronunciation: [taʃism] ), denotes a French abstract painting style prominent during the 1940s and 1950s. The term was reportedly first applied to this movement in 1951. It is frequently regarded as the European counterpart to American Abstract Expressionism, despite notable stylistic distinctions, as American Abstract Expressionism often exhibited a more "aggressively raw" aesthetic compared to Tachisme. This movement constituted an integral component of the broader post-World War II artistic current known as Art Informel (or Informel), which diverged from geometric abstraction, embracing a more intuitive mode of artistic expression akin to action painting. The movement is also identified as Abstraction lyrique, which shares affinities with American Lyrical Abstraction. Furthermore, COBRA and Japan's Gutai group demonstrate connections to Tachisme.

Following World War II, the designation "School of Paris" frequently encompassed Tachisme, recognized as the European equivalent of American Abstract Expressionism. Key proponents included Jean-Paul Riopelle, Wols, Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Soulages, Nicolas de Staël, Hans Hartung, Gérard Schneider, Serge Poliakoff, Georges Mathieu, and Jean Messagier, among others.

As noted by Chilvers, the term tachisme "initially appeared in this context around 1951 (French critics Charles Estienne and Pierre Guéguen are individually credited with its coinage), and its widespread adoption was facilitated by [French critic and painter] Michel Tapié's publication, Un Art autre (1952)."

Tachisme emerged as a reaction against Cubism and is typified by spontaneous brushstrokes, paint drips, and impasto applications directly from the tube, occasionally incorporating calligraphic-like scribbles.

Tachisme maintains a close relationship with Informalism or Art Informel, which, within its 1950s French art-critical context, did not primarily denote "informal art" but rather signified "a lack or absence of form itself"—meaning non-formal or un-formulated—rather than merely a reduction of formality. Instead, Art Informel emphasized the absence of premeditated structure, conceptualization, or approach (sans cérémonie), distinguishing it from a merely casual or relaxed artistic methodology.

Associated Artists

• Pierre Alechinsky (born 1927), a member of the Cobra group.
• Karel Appel (1921–2006), a member of the Cobra group.
• Frank Avray Wilson (1914–2009).
• Jean René Bazaine (1904–2001).
• Roger Bissière (1888–1964).
• Ferruccio Bortoluzzi (1920–2007).
• Norman Bluhm (1921–1999), an American artist associated with this movement.
• Bram Bogart (1921–2012), a member of the Cobra group.
• Alexander Bogen (1916–2010).
• Denis Bowen (1921–2006).
• Camille Bryen (1907–1977).
• Alberto Burri (1915–1995).
• Beauford Delaney (1901–1979), an American artist associated with this movement.
• Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985).
• Agenore Fabbri (1911–1998).
• Jean Fautrier (1898–1964).
• Lucio Fontana (1899–1968).
• Sam Francis (1923–1994), an American artist associated with this movement.
• Elaine Hamilton (1920–2010), an American associate of Tapié, influenced by this movement.
• Hans Hartung (1904–1989).
• Jacques Hérold (1910–1987).
• Laurent Jiménez-Balaguer (born 1928).
• Paul Jenkins (1923–2012), an American artist associated with this movement.
• Asger Jorn (1914–1973), a member of the Cobra group.
• Karel Kuklík (1937–2019), a Czech photographer recognized 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).
• Georges Mathieu (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), a German artist influenced by this movement.
• Gen Paul (1895–1975).
• Serge Poliakoff (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).
• Nicolas de Staël (1914–1955).
• Pierre Tal-Coat (1905–1985), a French artist.
• Michel Tapié (1909–1987).
• Antoni Tàpies (1923–2012).
• Bram van Velde (1895–1981).
• Louis Van Lint (1909–1986).
• François Willi Wendt (1909–1970).
• Wols (Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze) (1913–1951).
• Zao Wou Ki (1921–2013).

Nuagisme

• Nuagisme
• French art
• Abstract expressionism
• Action painting
• Lyrical Abstraction
• École de Paris
• Gutai group
• Spatialism
• Karl Otto Götz

Notes

References

• Chilvers, Ian. A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art, archived on September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Oxford and New York City: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-211645-2.
• Tapié, Michel. Un art autre où il s'agit de nouveaux dévidages du réel, archived on September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Paris: Gabriel-Giraud et fils, 1952. OCLC 1110556.
• Tiampo, Ming. Gutai and Informel Post-war Art in Japan and France, 1945—1965. (Dissertation Abstracts International, 65-01A). ISBN 0-496-66047-0, ISBN 978-0-496-66047-6.