Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) is one of my favourite artists. The first time I stood in a room, at the Tate Gallery in London, filled with his giant, complex, and beautiful paintings I was stunned. I had never been a "fan" of abstract expressionism before coming face to face with Pollock's vision. I could see no meaning or purpose in blobs and streaks of colour past mere decoration.

But my appreciation soon changed. Pollock's canvasses are huge, as they must be. The painting here is called "Galaxy", painted in 1947. The chaos exhibited in Pollock's painting is deliberate and wonderful. His style of working, laying his canvas on the ground and dripping and pouring his paint in practiced frenzy, earned him the nickname of "Jack the Dripper" from Time Magazine.

His art eveolved directly from surrealism and cubism. The artistic desire to break free of mere representative works, and to express the inner landscape of both the artist and the viewer, led to more and more innovation in techniques and style. Pollock was a trailblazer.

The painting above is called "Blue Poles", painted in 1952. At first glance there is little to be understood in Pollock's works. But the more of his works you see, the more you appreciate the talent of the artist. Trying to make sense of Pollock's canvasses is hopeless. Even Pollock eventually stopped naming his works. Why project a name onto something that is pure expression?

Pollock had a short and troubled life. Alcoholism and depression accompanied his success. He died in a car crash at the age of 44.

If anyone is interested in trying their hand at Pollock's style, here is a website that might interest you: http://jacksonpollock.org/