(I) Abstract Expressionism in US painting was the dominant force in the country's art in the late 1940s and 1950s. (II) Itwas characterized by the sensuous use of paint, often on very large canvases, to convey powerful emotions. (Ill) Ornamental art without figurative representation occurs in most cultures. (IV) Some of the artists involved painting pure abstract pictures, but others often used figures in their work. (V) Most of the leading Abstract Expressionists were based in NewYork during the height of the movement, and their critical and financial success helped New York to replace Paris as the world's leading centre of contemporary art.