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
The Ghost of a Flea the work is in relatively poor condition, partly due to the technique employed by Blake. Areas of the surface have cracked and dulled with age. Although Blake was singular in his ability to directly transcribe visions onto canvas or paper, a number of visual and literary sources can be detected in this work. The art historian Hope Werness suggested that "The Flea" may be inspired by a 1665 work by early microscopist Robert Hooke (1635–1703), whose "Micrographia" includes a drawing of a flea microscopically observed. Comparisons have been made to Henry Fuseli's monstrous imps, while the image of the flea