Cynthia's New York Experience: Paper#1

Jackson Pollock: A Contemporary Inspiration

Gotham: The New York Experience

Jackson Pollock: A Contemporary Inspiration

Cynthia Sollin

Molloy College June, 2012

Jackson Pollock: A Contemporary Inspiration

Paul Jackson Pollock, now known as Jackson Pollock, was an artist who played a major role in developing the abstract expressionist movement. Pollock’s drip art aims to make the observer look within themselves to reflect the painting because the art piece is not exactly “straight forward.” In the words of De Kooning, a Dutch American abstract expressionist, Pollock “broke the ice” with his drip paintings. Pollock’s “drip and splash” style depicted exactly what the future of abstract expressionism art would eventually evolve into (Wyo, 2003).

In the Twenty years between his arrival in New York City to study art and his early death, Jackson Pollock became one of the most original artists of his time. Alfonso Ossorio, Pollock’s best friend, described Pollock as “A man who had both broken all the traditions of the past and unified them, who had gone beyond cubism, beyond Picasso and surrealism, beyond everything that had happened in art…his work expressed both action and contemplation” (Moore, 2012). From 1938 to 1942, Pollock worked for the Federal Art Project. The Federal Art Project was created in 1935 to provide work assistance for artists in various aspects of design. Painters, sculptors, muralists, all at various levels of experience, entered their work to be showed cased (Moore, 2012). By the mid 1940’s, Pollock was painting in a manner that New York viewers have never seen before. Instead of using the traditional easel, he would lay the canvas across the floor, and then splashed, dripped, and poured canned paint across the canvas. He preferred enamel house paints to the more gelatinous texture of customary oils. The light consistency of the house paints allowed for easier dripping, swirling, and weaving of various lines and streaks. Instead of using brushes, he would use knifes, sticks, or trowels, to handle his master pieces and design unique and distinctive textures. Pollock stated that “it is essential to be able to walk around it; work from all four sides, and be in the painting, similar to Indian sand painters of the west” (Moore, 2012). A usual Jackson Pollock “splash” piece could take months to construct. He would constantly paint over, add more, or develop textures to ensure that the piece would demonstrate a stable pattern.

In the late 1940’s, Pollock became part of a group of painters known as abstract expressionists. The young artistic group was made up of mostly young New York painters, who worked on an assortment of artistic styles. The group all shared an obligation to creating abstract, large scale, and imaginative art, which portrayed Jungian psychological theories of the collective unconscious (Moore, 2012). In simple terms, the artists created their pieces with the unconscious mind, while still maintaining control throughout their work. In 1945, he married Lee Krasner, also an abstract artist. The couple moved to a farmhouse on Long Island, where he was exposed to woods, meadows, and water near the Accabonac Creek. He was inspired by nature, which led him to create some of his best work. Pollack defined himself stating “I am Nature” (Wyo, 2003).

In 1950, Pollock showed thirty-two paintings at Betty Parson’s Gallery in New York City. Some of the pieces that were shown include Autumn Rhythm, Number One (lavender mist), and the Number 31(Rosenblum, 1999, p 84). Lavender Mist truly shows what Pollock’s artistic style is. One defining label on this specific piece is the mark of his hands. It serves as a symbol for Pollock, that he owns this piece and created this unusual style. The hands also emphasize the levelness of the canvas, optimizing the look of certain textures (Rosenblum, 1999, p 84). The drip style painting shows expression while still maintaining balance throughout the piece. Ultimately, the viewer needs to make their own opinion on what they think the picture is about. This is why Pollock fell in love with abstract art. He did not have to think of why he was painting, he just did it, and eventually the unconscious mind would take over.

An Italian writer criticized Pollock’s work stating “Its utter chaos, absolute lack of harmony, complete lack of structural organization, rudimentary, and absence of technique” (Wyo, 2003). On the other hand, Time magazine critic, Robert Hughes, had a whole different view on Pollock’s drip art. Robert reported “It is impossible to make forgery of Jackson Pollock’s work. It is what his imitators could never do, and why there are no successful Pollock forgeries: they always end up looking like spaghetti, whereas Pollock-in his best work- had an almost preternatural control over the total effect of those skeins and receding depths of paint. In them, the light is always right. Nor are they absolutely spontaneous; He sometimes would retouch the drip with a brush” (Moore, 2012). Obviously, a five year old child can pick up a paint brush and drip it across the floor, but Pollock had a rhythmic way of doing so. When looking at a Pollock master piece, there is a sense of equality, awareness, and control, even though there is not an exact object depicted. He once stated “I control the flow of the paint. There is no accident” (Moore, 2012).

Many of Pollock’s pieces include a fractal pattern. A Fractal pattern is defined as a rough, geometric object that can be split up into fragments, each of which looks like a reduced-sized copy of the whole (Wyo, 2003). Many mathematicians claim that fractals are the reason why Pollock’s art became so popular. Between the dripping, the different textures, and distinctive colors, the viewer’s imagination can take off like a rocket ship. Fake Jackson Pollock pieces are hard to come by. These fractal patterns are so intricate, that they ultimately are the reason why it is very hard to replicate one of the paintings (Wyo, 2003).

Pollock had an unhappy personal life, which in actuality created some of his greatest pieces. The anger and alcoholism comes through the piece, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30). The work displays dark colors and the movement of the lines and streaks are extremely bold. Unfortunately, in 1956, the alcoholism got the best of him. Pollock was forty- four years old when he died in an alcohol related car accident on Long Island, leaving behind his legendary status.

By the 1960’s, Jackson Pollock was recognized as the most important figure in one of the most important movements of the century of art. He served as a role model for New York artists. His work taught people that artists can express themselves through their work without depicting an actual object. He influenced a whole new culture of art and demonstrated how feelings can be illustrated by flicking, dripping, and the use of different instruments. His work is shown in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where New Yorkers, travelers, and fans can view his pieces and still be in awe of his feelings through paint. He set the standard for what it takes to invent a whole new scope of art. Without knowing so, he taught artists just to paint and to not think so much into the piece. Pollock explains his form of expression by stating “When I am in my painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing. It is only after a sort of “get acquainted” period that I see what I have been about. I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, ect., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well” (Moore, 2012).

**Here is a cool website where you can make your own drip piece, just like Jackson Pollock! Just enter the website and click on the picture. Start to move your mouse and your master piece will soon be finished!**

http://jacksonpollock.org