Artist of the Week: Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock, although mocked throughout his career, is the most influential artist in the abstract expressionist movement.

Pollock was born as Paul Jackson Pollock in Cody, Wyoming in 1912. In his early years, he would accompany his father to work, who was a surveyor, and was exposed to Native American artwork while his father surveyed their land. Pollock didn't ever clearly state that this helped shape his artistic style, but he did state that his early years helped shape how he viewed art.

In 1929, Pollock went to Student's League in New York and studied under regionalist painter, Thomas Hart Benton. (American Regionalism is a realistic modern art movement that came out of the Great Depression. Example - American Gothic) Not only was Pollock influenced by Benton, he was influenced by Mexican muralist, Digo Rivera, and surrealism.

"Painting is self-discovery. Every good painter paints what he is." - Jackson Pollock

In the mid 1940's he introduced his "drip painting" style. This style is what Jackson Pollock is known for. "Drip Painting" altered the course of American art. Not only was Pollock's painting style unconventional, but how he went about painting was unconventional as well. Pollock would lay his canvas on the floor, or laid out on a wall, instead of using an easel. Pollock would use various types of paint and would drip, and splatter, them over the canvas. He also used knives, towels, sticks, and other various tools instead of paint brushes. Hopefully, and unfortunately, you can now understand the famous quote from Guardians of the Galaxy: "If I had a black light this place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting."

Pollock is also known for introducing the "All-over" method. "All-over" means that there is no direct points of emphasis, or any distinguishable parts in the work to create the piece. This style was similar to the surreal movement, and demonstrated a concise showcase of feelings and emotions.

Right around the time that Pollock started to become popular, he abandoned the "drip style". In 1951, he moved to using dark paints and unprimed canvas, this concentration was coined as "Black Pourings". Pollock showcased these pieces at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York, unfortunately, these were not as popular as his previous works.

Pollock struggled with alcoholism throughout his life, and was rumored to have had bipolar disorder. This tarnished his image, caused strain on his marriage to Lee Krasner, and was part of the reason he was mocked at the beginning of his career. Pollock later died in 1956 at the age of 44 due to his alcoholism in a single-car drunk driving accident. Soon after he had passed, his wife opened a memorial exhibition to help his reputation, since he had done so much to shape the future of American art.

Jackson Pollock's artwork was a monumental staple in the abstract expressionist movement, creating and influencing new styles of painting. His "out of the box" thinking is what sparked his fame and greatness, which will make him a recognizable artist for many years to come.

See below a video of Ed Harris portraying Jackson Pollock:

***Edited on 2/3/18***

Sources

https://jackson-pollock.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanh1/5130873693/in/photolist-8Pp4Zx-dQ2vMV-pnvsz-68ebF2-4eXSzw-qZ3nfk-omSoU-9rvQYH-7NUH5Y-PDJyg-hve3QV-oitqFN-9krNia-hgfFy-5g5okf-8JUwhf-qRDduG-FVHUP1-4quxqJ-4stpYA-ijzXJG-4stqqS-TUub8H-CXFNZz-7yX8Cz-U2gykE-64nBN3-4spmKr-6xYWY3-4stqvC-83HFX-6hjr78-7DVBNk-7vwvaP-EfEnJb-7dSwQi-6oGT1y-Dj96KV-7udtKu-7EqWff-81Y18K-g1niA3-YGwT61-3PtxYF-o42gfa-bDars1-oksZaw-EsgaT-pj5Eco-4stpLL

https://www.flickr.com/photos/scalleja/578385932

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0gjDFDDaiM