The Abstract Expressionists and Les Automatistes: A shared multi-fractal depth?

Statistical analysis of abstract paintings is becoming an increasingly important tool for understanding the creative process of visual artists. We present a multifractal analysis of ‘poured’ paintings from the Abstract Expressionism and Les Automatistes movements. The box-counting dimension (D0) is measured for the analyzed paintings, as is the associated multifractal depth ΔD=D0−D∞, where D∞ is the asymptotic dimension. We investigate the role of depth by plotting a ‘phase space’ diagram that examines the relationship between D0 and D∞. We show that, although the D0 and D∞ values vary between individual paintings, the collection of paintings exhibit a similar depth, suggesting a shared visual characteristic for this genre. We discuss the visual implications of this result.

► We measure multifractal dimensions Dq for Abstract Expressionism and Les Automatistes paintings. ► The role of multifractal depth is examined by plotting a ‘phase space’ diagram between D0 and D∞. ► Although D0 and D∞ vary for individual paintings, the overall collection exhibits a similar depth. ► This result suggests a shared visual characteristic for this genre.