Sunday 14 September 2014

Jackson Pollock - research

Jackson Pollock was an American painter well known for being part of the Abstract Expressionist movement during the 1940s. Regarded as reclusive, he had a volatile personality, and struggled with alcoholism for most of his life. In 1945, he married the artist Lee Krasner, who became an important influence on his career and on his legacy. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock)

Technique
The term used to describe Pollock's style and technique when creating his paintings is called 'action painting' due to the amount of movement that he used to spread the paint around the canvas. Pollock is believed to lie his canvas on the ground so he was able to move around the painting more freely. Action painting arguably resembles performance art, as the paint is allowed to act freely and without emotion. Pollock would never allow a paintbrush to touch the canvas, he would simply use it to drip the paint onto the surface instead. He used hardened brushes, sticks, and even basting syringes as paint applicators.

The painting Lavender Mist, unveiled by Pollock in 1950, is one of the most famous Jackson Pollock paintings. The canvas which is 10 feet wide displays paint that has been dripped and splattered over every inch. Lines of color move in every direction, and the imprint of Pollock’s hands which have been dipped in paint appear at the top right corner of the canvas. The eye frantically attempts to take in the sheer magnitude of the painting and is unable to rest. Because his paintings were created through action, the process of viewing them must also involve an active process. (http://www.jackson-pollock.com/action-painting.html)

 (http://www.nga.gov/feature/pollock/painting1.shtm)

Influences

  • Thomas Hart Benton
  • Diego Rivera
  • David Alfaro Siqueiros
  • Lee Krasner (wife)
  • Native American sand paintings, which were created by trickling lines of colored sand on a horizontal surface.
  • The work he began doing in 1947, was influenced by the Surrealist style and the idea of 'psychic automatism' which was a direct expression of the unconscious.
Quotes from Jackson Pollock

"The strangeness will wear off and I think we will discover the deeper meanings in modern art."
"My paintings do not have a center, but depend on the same amount of interest throughout."
"It doesn't make much difference how the paint is put on as long as something has been said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement."
"When I'm painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It's only after a get acquainted period that I see what I've been about. I've no fears about making changes for the painting has a life of its own.

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