jackson%20pollock

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jackson pollock
abstract expressionism

• Inspired by Navajo Sand Painting
• 1. The action or process is more important
  than the actual product.
• 2. He worked on a large scale, and had his
  work laid flat on the ground.
• Worked with Diego Rivera and Thomas Hart Benton
  in the WPA artists project. It was there that
  he learned to work on such a large scale.
• Worked with a Jungian psychologist who had him
  use automatic drawing as part of his therapy.
  Much of his artwork sprung from those therapy
  sessions.

Male and Female, 1942
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Male and Female, 1942
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jackson pollock
abstract expressionism
His early work had clear cut imagery. But as his
career progressed, he used less recognizable
images. Peggy Guggenheim presented his work in
her gallery for the first time in 1943. Soon
after, Pollocks career began to flourish.
Stenographic Figure, 1942
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Stenographic Figure, 1942
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jackson pollock
abstract expressionism
Line is defined with gesture rather than with
the edge of a shape or contour Line, color,
surface, and space are all built at once. There
is a suggestion of depth,but it is a shallow
depth. Pollock was the first Modern American
painter to have international success.
She Wolf, 1943
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She Wolf, 1943
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jackson pollock
abstract expressionism
Color Action Balance Unity Energy S
cale
Pollock used his whole being when creating his
artwork. He used wide gestures with his arms,
moving with his entire body, and mentally
becoming completely lost in what he was
doing. His art relied on his creative impulses.
There was no preconceived ideas of the form
before he began to paint.
Eyes in the Heat, 1946
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Eyes in the Heat, 1946
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jackson pollock
abstract expressionism
Pollock hated to sign his work because it implied
an act of finality. He had a hard time deciding
when his work was complete. He would lay his
canvas flat on the floor and work his way around
the piece in much the same fashion as the Navajo
people create their large scale sand
paintings.
Pasiphae,1943
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Pasiphae,1943
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jackson pollock
abstract expressionism
Pollock would use industrial and enamel paints
that would dry very quickly on the canvas. This
allowed him to build up many layers into a
densely woven pattern. Harold Rosenberg wrote an
article about Jackson Pollock and some of the
other Action Painters in 1952. It was this
article that gave these Abstract Expressionists
the title of Action Painters. Rosenbergs
article had much to do with the success of the
American Abstract painters.
Simmering Nuances,1946
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Simmering Nuances,1946