Many of the early activities of the Gutai were action-based. Based on the idea of breaking down the barriers between life and art, and considering movement itself as an artistic act, various actions were attempted.
Typical examples include Kazuo Shiraga's "Challenging the Mud," Saburo Murakami's "Paper Tearing," and Shozo Shimamoto's "Bottle Throwing”. These attempts opened up a new world of art, but they eventually resulted in different styles of painting. A representative example of this is Kazuo Shiraga's work in which he paints with his feet.