Action\ Painting is an abstract painting technique and style commonly attributed to and developed by american artist Jackson Pollock. It is part of the abstract expressionists movement.

Action\ Painting is based on the rough, free distribution of color onto a surface (like a canvas), for example by spraying, dripping or casting paint or placing colored objects like threads or the artists own hands onto the canvas. Thin, covering colors are usually in use.

The stylistic properties are connected with the technical basis: Works of Action\ Painting often contain unsettled lines, paint spots and other parts, which are not based immediatly on geometry but were rather caused by randomly influenced acting with the color. Often, color is applied without immediate contact to the canvas. However, the artist is still in control of the overall appearance of the image, since perse can control the selection of color, location and amount where it is applied and the overall texture.

The eponymous „Action“ of the style does not only appear in its typical process of creation but also when it is viewed. As Corey\ D’Augustine from the Museum\ of\ Modern\ Art pointed out in a video on Pollocks work and Action\ Painting in general: There never is a single point the eye can fix. Therefore, looking at the painting created a feeling of tension, anxiety and action. The ususal purpose of the line, to delimit geometrical objects, becomes almost absurd by the way it stresses the viewer.

This effect, however, may also be used to direct the viewer in certain directions. To what extent the use of lines, dots or other elements influences the behavior of the gaze during viewing is an open question, and could be tested empirically using Eye\ tracking.

Link to another example, by Jeremy Rotsztain (License: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0))