Abstraction refers to art that is not concerned with literal depictions of the visible world, but can refer to representations of real-world objects or images. Expressionism presents the world from a subjective perspective to express meanings, emotions, moods, or ideas. The Expressionist movement combined the emotional intensity and self-denial of German Expressionists with the anti-figurative aesthetics of European art schools. After World War 2, many European artists migrated to America as Europe struggled to recover from the war. The social and political changes in Europe during this time produced feelings of anxiety and alienation, leading to a need for self-expression and the start of an art movement with New York at its center.
