Tachism

tach·isme or tach·ism  (tshzm)

n.

A French school of art originating in the 1950s and characterized by irregular dabs and splotches of color applied haphazardly to the canvas.

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[French tachisme, from tache, stain, from Old French teche, mark, of Germanic origin; see deik- in Indo-European roots.]

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tachiste, tachist n.

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Tachism, Tachisme

a movement of the early 1950s which claimed to be in revolt against both Abstractism and naturalism, taking its name from patches of color (Fr. taches) placed on canvas spontaneously and by chance, the result being considered an emotional projection rather than an expression or a symbol. Cf. Abstract Expressionism. — Tachist, Tachiste, n.

See also: Art