Art Informel, also known as both “Tachisme” and “lyrical abstraction,” was essentially the European equivalent of American abstract expressionism, with an emphasis on non-geometric abstraction, spontaneity, and expressive brushwork. In French, the word tache (of “Tachisme”) means “splotch,” referring to the manner in which paint has been blotted onto the canvas. Artists associated with Art Informel include Jean Fautrier (1898–1964), Hans Hartung (1904–1989), and Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze, better known as “Wols” (1913–1951). The work of Jean Dubuffet, which is associated with art brut, is also sometimes categorized as Art Informel.