Born in 1939, Paul Rotterdam was primarily inspired by the 1950s. The 1950s can be said to have been dominated by Abstract Expressionism, a form of painting that prioritized expressive brushstrokes and explored ideas abouta organic nature, spirituality and the sublime. Much of the focus was on the formal techniques of painting, and ideas of action painting were unified with the political freedom of the United States society as opposed to the strictures nature of the Soviet bloc.