Western painting critic Robert Coates. Abstract expressionism, Action painting, and Color Field painting are synonymous with the New York School. Technically Surrealism was an important predecessor for Abstract expressionism with its emphasis on spontaneous, automatic or subconscious creation. Jackson Pollock's dripping paint onto a canvas laid on the floor is a technique that has its roots in the work of André Masson. Another important ear<nowiki>ly m</nowiki>anifestation of what came to be abstract expressionism is the work of American Northwest artist Mark Tobey, especially his "white writing" canvases, which, though generally not large in scale, anticipate the "all over" look of Pollock's drip
Atsuko Tanaka (artist) of internationally important public collections, including that of the Museum of Modern Art, MOMA,in New York. MOMA's online collection (see external links) features a large, untitled 1964 Tanaka work (synthetic polymer paint on canvas). Nearly tall and over wide, this piece, according to MOMA's online description, "evolved from Tanaka's performance "Electric Dress"", and "vividly records the artist's gestural application of layers and skeins of multicolored acrylic paint on the canvas as it lay on the floor." Atsuko Tanaka (artist) Atsuko Tanaka (田中 敦子, "Tanaka Atsuko"; February 10, 1932 – December 3, 2005) was a pioneering Japanese avant-garde artist. Tanaka was