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Interpretation and influence
Franz Kline is recognized as one of the most important yet problematic artists of the Abstract Expressionist movement in New York. His style is difficult for critics to interpret in relation to his contemporaries. Unlike his fellow abstract expressionists, Kline's works were only meant to look like they were done in a moment of inspiration, however each painting was extensively explored before his housepainter's brush touched canvas. He was also known for avoiding giving meaning to his paintings, unlike his colleagues who could give mystical descriptions of their subjects. In a catalog of Franz Kline's works, art historian Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev writes that "his art both suggests and denies significance and meaning." Many of his works have been viewed by art historians as indications of a progression towards minimalist painting. They believe that his works hold an objective opacity and frankness that differs from the subjectivity involved with the New York School's style, which would make his work more like the avant-garde platforms that replaced the Abstract Expressionist movement in the 1960s.

Art historian David Anfam notes that artists working across decades after Kline's death such as Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, Mark di Suvero, and Brice Marden have all called Kline an inspiration.