Jackson Pollock became a symbol of revolutionary changes in the art world. His methods and approaches reflected the desire for freedom of expression that characterized his time. Jackson Pollock is one of the most influential representatives of modern art of the second half of the twentieth century. His list of achievements includes the creation of the concept of abstract expressionism and a unique drip irrigation technique. The “action painting” invented by Pollock influenced the perception of the very essence of the artistic process and gave a powerful impetus to the development of new directions.
The beginning of a creative journey
Jackson Pollock was born in 1912 in Wyoming, USA. He began receiving art education at the Los Angeles School of Applied Arts, where he entered after an unsuccessful attempt to join the army. At the educational institution, Pollock became acquainted with the occult ideas of the theosophical circle, which later had a noticeable influence on his work. Due to problems with alcohol and eccentric behavior, the artist was soon expelled from school. In 1930, Pollock went to New York, where he continued his studies at the Art Students League under the leadership of Thomas Hart Benton. In the first half of the 1930s, the artist actively traveled and became acquainted with the work of other masters. He was influenced by the works of Mexican masters (Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco), Pablo Picasso and surrealist artists. Another source of creative inspiration for Pollock was psychoanalysis, which he became acquainted with during treatment for addiction and depression.
Invention of drip technology
At the end of the 1940s, the artist invents a unique abstract art painting technique. Subsequently, critics called it “drip painting” or dripping. Although the author himself preferred to use the name “flowing technique”. Some critics have suggested that Pollock's innovative style was the result of mental trauma and depression. It is known that the future artist almost died during birth (the umbilical cord almost suffocated him). Prolonged asphyxia could cause damage to the nervous system and mental abnormalities. Already in childhood, he had a second accident - a peer cut off the phalanx of his finger. Later biographers repeatedly recorded an exacerbation of depression in adulthood. During such periods, the artist actively drew in notebooks his nightmares and sexual fantasies originating from the subconscious. Trying to overcome psychological trauma, the artist used methods of psychoanalysis, research into his own subconscious, and authentic techniques of ritual art.
The method of drip irrigation of the canvas without physical contact of the brush with its surface helped to gain freedom in movements and, with spontaneous swings of the brush, give shape to images from the subconscious. Dripping looked so impressive from the side that Pollock was even given the nickname Jack, the Ripper. While working on the painting, the artist placed canvases on the studio floor, and later applied paint to them with spontaneous movements. Gradually, the artist moved further and further away from traditional tools and techniques. In his own words, he did not use easels, palettes or even brushes, preferring scoops, knives and sticks. To give the paintings more texture, Pollock mixed paint with sand and broken glass. He liked to walk around canvases and apply paint to them with whipping movements. During the process of creation, the painting acquired its own life, not subject to the will of the master. All that remained for him was to realize the will of the work to its own existence.
Sometimes Pollock resumed work on the painting, considering it already completed. From the side, it looked like the author at some point felt that he needed to add a few more strokes. Unfortunately, the work did not always help the master free himself from obsessive images from the subconscious. For inspiration, he often used drugs or alcohol, which further aggravated his addiction. Pollock devoted 3 years to drip technology from 1947 to 1950.
Abstract Expressionism by Jackson Pollock
In 1950, Art News magazine published an article about Pollock's dripping. Text descriptions accompanied photographs of the chaotic creative process. This approach to fine art shocked readers, but the innovation aroused genuine interest. The audience was also intrigued by the artist’s statements that while working he did not always understand what he was doing. Despite criticism from conservatives, the new art gained popularity and brought fame to the master. Before this, the artist Hans Hofmann had already used a similar technique, which Robert Coates, in an article for the New Yorker, called abstract expressionism. Therefore, the name for the direction already existed at the time of publication of the article about “drip painting”. Subsequently, Pollock, as the most prominent representative of the new movement, became the main figure of abstract expressionism.
The starting point for the new direction was the idea of the spontaneity of the creative impulse and its deep connection with the reality of the subconscious. While working on a canvas, the artist must free himself from cultural conventions and false ideologies imposed by political systems. In this state, he is able to become a relay of “free forms”. According to art historians, there are also socio-political reasons for the emergence of abstract expressionism. Firstly, the new direction was a response to fatigue from the social realism of the 1930s with its craving for depicting authentic scenes from everyday life. Secondly, in post-war America there was censorship and only politically neutral stories could become an outlet for people of free views. Abstract Expressionism is not limited to works created using the drip technique. Another sub-direction was active in it, represented by the work of Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and their associates. Instead of chaotic lines on the masters’ canvases, you can see combinations of so-called color fields. "color field painting"
TOP 3 most famous works of Pollock in drip technique
- “No. 5, 1948” (1948). Pollock's most famous painting. She appeared several times in feature films (“Contraband”, “Ex Machina”). Its first owner was the artist and dealer Alonso Assorio. Pollock sold him the piece for $1,500. They say that Assorio's friends were sincerely surprised that such creativity could cost so much. In 2006, it was purchased by collector David Martinez for a record $140 million.
- “Number 11, 1952” (1952). The painting is also known as "Blue Pillars". Art historian Dennis Phillips believes that the second, more “subjective” title significantly narrows the horizon of possible interpretations of the plot. The painting gained fame after being moved to the collection of the National Gallery of Australia. About $1.3 million was spent on its purchase, with a limit of $1 million. The deal received public outcry and sparked debate about the value of this kind of creativity. Later, Pollock's creation nevertheless received recognition from the conservative public and today is considered the most valuable exhibit of the gallery.
- "Number 30" (1950). The painting was painted at the peak of Pollock's drip technique. The process of creating the painting was partially captured in photographs and documented by Hans Namuth. Later, the name “Autumn Rhythm” was assigned to the masterpiece. The painting was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $20,000.
Assessments of Jackson Pollock's works
Despite its feigned apoliticality, Pollock's work almost immediately began to be regarded as an instrument of political influence. In countries oriented towards the socialist model, it was believed that abstract expressionism was invented by American intelligence services to “undermine the moral foundations” of opponents of capitalism. Adherents of such theories pay attention to a strange detail - the artist’s posthumous exhibition was sponsored by the CIA. It got to the point where Pollock’s art was called a “weapon of the Cold War.” Other accusations, more understandable to connoisseurs of beauty, have been put forward that, under the guise of art, the audience is being offered a joke. Some critics even called Pollock's paintings “wallpaper”, unworthy of standing on the same level as the works of the great classics. Salvador Dali once wrote that the master of abstract expressionism is not as bad as William Turner, because he is even more of a nonentity. But such critical opinions still did not become mainstream. Today Pollock is included in the list of the most “expensive” artists of our time, and some of his works are constantly cited in popular culture.
KyivGallery art critic