The Abstract Expressionist movement itself is generally regarded as having begun with the paintings done by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning in the late 1940s and early '50s.

What influenced abstract expressionism?

The Abstract Expressionists were deeply influenced by the idea of exploring the unconscious which reigned in Surrealism, and by the ideas of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and his exploration of myths and archetypes. They also gravitated towards existentialist philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre.

Who is the father of abstract expressionism?

Wassily Kandinsky is hailed as the father of the pure abstraction movement in the early 20th century.