Tachisme

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Tachisme (or Tachism). A style of abstract painting popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s characterized by the use of irregular dabs or splotches of colour (tache is French for spot or blotch). The term 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 Michel Tapié in his book Un Art autre (1952). In its intuitive, spontaneous approach, Tachisme has affinities with Abstract Expressionism (although initially it developed independently of it), and the term is often used as a generic label for any European painting of the time that parallels the American movement. However, Tachisme was primarily a French phenomenon (associated particularly with the École de Paris) and Tachiste paintings are characteristically more suave, sensual, and concerned with beautiful handling (belle facture) than the work of the Abstract Expressionists, which can be aggressively raw in comparison. Leading exponents of Tachisme include Jean Fautrier, Georges Mathieu, and Pierre Soulages, together with Hans Hartung and Wols, who were German-born but French-based. The terms ‘abstraction lyrique’ (Lyrical Abstraction), ‘Art Autre (other art), and ‘Art Informel’ (art without form) are often used more or less synonymously with Tachisme, although certain critics use them to convey different nuances, sometimes corresponding with niceties of theory rather than observable differences in practice. It seems reasonable, however, to regard Tachisme as one aspect of the broader notion of Art Informel. (To add to the confusion of terminology, the word ‘tachiste’ was used differently in the 19th century, being applied pejoratively to the Impressionists.)

Tachisme. A type of abstract painting popular in the late 1940s and 1950s characterized by the use of irregular dabs or splotches of colour (tache is French for spot or blotch). The term was first used in this sense in about 1951 and was given wide currency by the French critic Michel Tapié in his book Un art autre (1952). In its intuitive, spontaneous approach, Tachisme had affinities with Abstract Expressionism (although it initially developed independently of it), and the term is often used as a generic label for any European painting of the time that parallels the American movement. However, Tachisme was primarily a French phenomenon ( Jean Fautrier, Georges Mathieu, and the German-born but Paris-based Wols were among the leading exponents), and Tachiste paintings are characteristically more suave, sensual, and concerned with beautiful handling (belle facture) than the work of the Abstract Expressionists, which can be aggressively raw in comparison. The terms ‘abstraction lyrique’ (lyrical abstraction) ‘Art Autre’ (other art), and ‘Art Informel’ (art without form) are sometimes used synonymously with Tachisme, although certain critics use them to convey different nuances, sometimes corresponding with niceties of theory rather than with observable differences in practice. It seems reasonable, however, to regard Tachisme as one aspect of the broader notion of Art Informel. To add to the confusion of terminology, the word ‘tachisme’ was used differently in the 19th century, being applied pejoratively to the Impressionists and the Macchiaioli.

Tachisme (from Fr., tache: ‘spot’ or ‘blotch’). A type of abstract painting popular in the late 1940s and 1950s characterized by the use of irregular dabs or splotches of colour. The term was first used in this sense in about 1951 and was given wide currency by the French critic Michel Tapié in his book Un art autre (1952). In its intuitive, spontaneous approach, Tachisme had affinities with Abstract Expressionism (although it initially developed independently of it), and the term is often used as a generic label for any European painting of the time that parallels the American movement. However, Tachisme was primarily a French phenomenon (Jean Fautrier, Georges Mathieu, and the German-born but Paris-based Wols were among the leading exponents), and Tachiste paintings are characteristically more suave, sensual, and concerned with beautiful handling (belle facture) than the work of the Abstract Expressionists, which can be aggressively raw in comparison. The terms abstraction lyrique (lyrical abstraction), Art Autre (other art), and Art Informel (art without form) are sometimes used synonymously with Tachisme, although certain critics use them to convey different nuances, sometimes corresponding with niceties of theory rather than with observable differences in practice. It seems reasonable, however, to regard Tachisme as one aspect of the broader notion of Art Informel. To add to the confusion of terminology, the word tachisme was used differently in the 19th century, being applied pejoratively to the Impressionists and the Macchiaioli.