A movement in painting that flourished from the late-1940s through the 1950s, mainly in new york city (and thus also known as the new york school). Under the rubric of "action painting," its proponents stressed the spontaneity of working methods as a means for accessing unconscious creative impulses. Key figures include willem de kooning, franz kline, jackson pollock, robert motherwell, lee krasner, sam francis and helen frankenthaler.