Jackson Pollock was a primary in
Abstract Expressionism who revolutionized all contemporary art that followed
him with his radical approach to painting. Pollock redefined what it is to
produce art. He realized that the process of creating a work of art was just as
important as the work of art itself. With the crisis and aftermath of war,
artists were troubled with the dark side of man. Anxiously aware of human
irrationality and vulnerability, they sought to express their concerns by means
of a new art with significance and substance. The Surrealists brought about
unlimited possibilities with an emphasis on tapping the unconscious. This
birthed the method of psychic automatism, where involuntary gesture and
improvisation take over, freeing the artist of their conscious mind. This is
exactly what Pollock did. He would employ a canvas in an untraditional way by
laying it on the floor rather than an easel, leaving it raw instead of primed
and stretched, and rarely attacking it with a brush. The paintings with which
he utilized this method are mostly what Pollock is known for—his distinct drip
paintings. From 1947 to 1950 is the period his most famous drip paintings came
into existence, gaining him much recognition. Laying his canvas on the floor
allowed Pollock to view and strike from all angles. He took an interest in
using industrial materials, such as synthetic resin-based paints called Alkyd
enamels and house paints, applying it with hardened brushes, sticks, and
sometimes even basting syringes. Another detail to mention is the fact that he
used extremely large canvases. This gave them an enormity and powerful
presence, making it impossible to ignore his works on display. In the process
of creating this style, he moved away from figurative representation and
challenged traditional Western techniques, even moving away from the use of
just hand and wrist in exchange for occupying his entire body with motion in
what some might describe as dance-like gestures. In an edition of Time Magazine from 1956, Pollock was mockingly
labeled “Jack the Dripper” for his unique style. With his perfected dripping
technique that he would be permanently identified with, he was able to reach a
more instantaneous means of creating art, the liquid paint literally dripping
off his chosen tool directly onto the canvas.
One
of the earliest and most important pieces of modern American painting, let
alone Pollock’s collection, is his painting Mural.
This canvas is bursting with physical energy that was unlike anything else seen
in 1943. For this painting, Pollock summoned the multitudinous stylistic
practices and theoretical methodologies to which he had been exposed. Although
it was not performed in the drip-painting manner, it was revered for the
immediacy in which he brought together and synthesized these elements,
containing references to personal, cultural, social, political, and art world
happenings. With all of these available influences at his disposal, Pollock was
able to take what he wanted from them and combine and transform them into his
own unique contemporary method. Whereas he was thought to have no structure for
his process, in 2009 it was discovered that his name is discernible in black
lettering under the other layers of paint in this work. It is still being
studied, with the letters being unorthodox, ambiguous, and largely hidden, but
it could hardly be an arbitrary coincidence to find only those letters in that
specific sequence. There have been no assertions of this before and his name is
not traceable in any other works of his, but there is no evidence supporting
the notion either. Although, Pollock often loathed talking about his art and
rarely kept written records, is it possible that he arranged the entire
painting around his name as a framework? Renowned art critic Clement Greenberg,
who was a principal follower of Pollock, took one look at the painting and
realized "Jackson was the greatest painter this country has produced"
(Adams).
References:
Adams, Henry. “Decoding Jackson
Pollock.” Smithsonian. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Decoding-Jackson-Pollock.html#.
“Collections: Jackson Pollock.”
University of Iowa Museum of Art. http://uima.uiowa.edu/jackson-pollock.
“Contemporary Art and Design.”
Resources/Teaching Materials. http://66.195.106.23/teacherpackets/teachingpackets/tp/contemp/Artwork/ConCath.htm.
Paul, Stella. “Abstract
Expressionism.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm.
“The Religious Affiliation of
Celebrated American Painter: Jackson Pollock.” Adherents. http://www.adherents.com/people/pp/Jackson_Pollock.html.
I think that Smithsonian article you mentioned is so interesting, particularly in regards to the theory that I mentioned in lecture (about Jackson Pollock's signature). Are you convinced that his signature appears in the painting? I think it's an interesting idea, but I don't know if it actually is true. I think if you stare at "Mural" long enough, you could pick out a whole bunch of different shapes and letters.
ReplyDelete-Prof. Bowen
The first time I saw a work by Jackson Pollock was as a card in an art auction game called Masterpiece. I thought the painting looked like the dull side of a wadded up piece of aluminum foil, slightly flattened and reflecting the colors of a stained glass window. I didn't realize at the time that the original was probably many feet across. The large sizes of Pollock's works invite comparisons with images of faces or creatures in clouds or the movements of unicorns and fairies dancing in a field. It seems that non-representational and conceptual art uses the mind, ideas and movements of the artist and the viewer supplies the imagination.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting painting, Ive never seen this piece by Pollock before. The intense use of lines around the painting give the piece a very powerful and seemingly vibrant rhythm. Although it looks very busy the piece works well in exhuming energy and disorder.
ReplyDeleteThat is really interesting that you found references that propose that Pollock's signature is inscribed beneath the layers of paint in his work. I am not a huge fan of his work, but I must say that for the time period, his invention of the painting process was a huge leap for the abstract expressionists.
ReplyDeleteI think it's so cool that Jackson Pollock could have hidden his name is this work of art. I love when artists find cool ways to sign their works discretely. I find this piece's discrete signature even more interesting due to the fact that Pollock never really signed his works or seemed to want to attach any personal records to them, so the thought that he may have created a whole piece around his signature is very interesting.
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