Jackson Pollock the Action Painter
Paul Jackson Pollock 1912 – 1956 was an American abstract expressionist painter. He is known for his “Drip Technique” of splashing and pouring paint onto canvas lying flat on the ground. This method allowed him to view the canvas from all different angles. The technique was often called Action painting because of the rapid application of the household paint onto the canvas.
How much is a Jackson Pollock painting worth?
Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings vary in price depending on their size and their medium. In the last 20 years his artwork has increased in price, with the most expensive, Number 17 selling at auction for $61 million.
Why did Jackson Pollock become so famous?
As with most Abstract painters, Jackson Pollock began his career painting animals, people and other representational objects. However, he is known for creating a new art movement – Abstract Expressionism. This despite his admission later in life that he got his inspiration from another artist – Janet Sobel, an Ukrainian artist who was drip painting many years before, in the 1930s. It could be argued that he took this method to another level. Certainly, through the media his fame spread far and wide, almost to a superstar level.
Why did Jackson Pollock quit painting?
The circumstances leading to Jackson Pollock quitting his art stem from his mental health issues in the 1930s. During the late 30s Pollock suffered from alcoholism and depression. He was encouraged to seek treatment by his brothers Charles and Sanford, including psychoanalysis in 1937. However in 1938, he suffered a setback in the form of a nervous breakdown. The following few years were quite productive. Then in 1955 the alcoholism and depression got to him in a big way and he stopped painting altogether.
Jackson Pollock was killed on 11th August 1956. He was involved in a road traffic accident while driving drunk and his convertible car overturned.
What did Pollock’s death do for his artwork?
Jackson Pollock died at the age relatively young age of 44. He was already famous following an August 8, 1949, four-page spread in Life magazine that asked, “Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?”. His art remains controversial because his drip painting moved the viewer’s eye away from preconceived notions of what art should be in many peoples point of view. Just four months after his death, Pollock was given a memorial retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. This again raised his profile within the art world.
Why is Jackson Pollock considered a genius?
Like many people who are considered genius they have inner turmoil throughout their lives. They also have usually done a tremendous amount of research into their field of work. Jackson Pollock did the same. He had experimented with art from South America, Africa and native Americans. European artists such as Matisse, Miró, Kandinsky, Klee and even Picasso all had an influence on his art work. So he developed his craft over a long period of time. His inner anger and torment was used when applying paint to the canvas . His genius was how he considered where to apply the drip paint – the curve, run or splash.
Clements McCulloch paints a Jackson Pollock style painting.
We used a similar method to apply paint as Jackson Pollock and completed several pieces of art work. A background base colour was painted and once dry paint was dripped and splashed from various angles around the canvas.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203094027614
Also one that we call “Cheeta” https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203093805711
Leo, below was also painted with a background colour and left to dry. Then a lion was drawn followed by the drip painting process. Once each colour dried another was applied.
