Art & Design
Abstract Expressionism Quiz
Pollock's drips, Rothko's color fields — postwar New York's painting revolution
Pollock's drips, Rothko's color fields — postwar New York's painting revolution
The CIA secretly funded Abstract Expressionism's global tour during the Cold War — promoting Pollock and Rothko as evidence of America's free creative spirit, declassified only in the 1990s. Born in 1940s New York, Abstract Expressionism turned the United States into the world's new art capital. This quiz covers the action painters and color-field giants, the critics who shaped the conversation, and the personalities behind the canvas.
Each round presents 10 randomized questions from a pool of 50, with four multiple-choice options and instant feedback after every answer. Your final score comes with a performance tier and shareable results.
You'll explore Jackson Pollock's drip paintings, Mark Rothko's luminous rectangles, Willem de Kooning's 'Woman' series, the Cedar Tavern scene, the writings of Greenberg and Rosenberg, the role of women like Lee Krasner and Helen Frankenthaler, and the Cold War politics that turned New York into the new art capital.
Jackson Pollock developed his signature drip technique between 1947 and 1950, laying canvases on the floor and pouring or flinging house paint onto them with sticks and brushes. The technique earned him the nickname 'Jack the Dripper.'
Color field painting is a strand of Abstract Expressionism that uses large, unbroken expanses of saturated color to evoke contemplation and feeling, rather than gestural brushwork. Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Clyfford Still are its central figures.
Rothko died by suicide in his New York City studio on February 25, 1970. He had taken an overdose of antidepressants and slit his wrists. The Tate's Seagram Murals arrived in London the same day.
Last updated: May 2026