Abstract Expressionism is one of the most recent and modern art movements which originated in USA. Regionalism and Social Realism, two art movements yielded and inspired by The Great Depression, were the precedents of the Abstract Expressionism movement (Stella). Both Regionalism and Social Realism inspired art during 1930s but they were not sufficient to express the artistic creativity of some artists leading them to create a new movement which they called Abstract Expressionism (Stella). Abstract Expressionism developed during 1940s and artists of this movement gave more importance and emphasis on the authenticity of their art resulting from its direct and immediate expression (Stella). Among the many Abstract Expressionists who made significant contributions to the movement, Jackson Pollock was one.
Jackson Pollock was one of the remarkable artists of the Modern Art era. Pollock’s childhood was turbulent, characterized by his father’s abandonment of their family when he was nine years old (Jackson Pollock). Despite his tumultuous childhood, Pollock grew to love nature and animals, particularly during the time he spent living in Phoenix in 1932 (Jackson Pollock). Growing up, Pollock’s personal problems consumed him and caused him to develop alcoholism (Jackson Pollock). His love for nature and dependence to alcohol were the usual inspiration that provided theme for his works. Pollock, like most of the other Abstract Expressionism artists, began working in 1930s (Jackson Pollock). But since Abstract Expressionism was not invented yet during the 1930s, Pollock’s earliest works were strongly influenced by the American Regionalism (Jackson Pollock). But in 1939, after receiving Jungian analysis for his alcoholism, Pollock’s therapist, Dr. Joseph Henderson, suggested that painting could help him overcome his addiction and this marked the commencement of Pollock’s involvement with Abstract Expressionism (Jackson Pollock; Biography of Jackson Pollock). From American Regionalism, Pollock entered Abstract Expressionism and made a large contribution that helped the art movement become more recognized and respected. Pollock’s identity as one of the greatest Abstract Expressionists came from his incredible ability of combining Expressionism, Surrealism, and Cubism in his artworks—a skill that nobody has perfected as Pollock did (Jackson Pollock). Pollock’s artworks from 1947 to 1950 became his best-known works that completed what was known in Abstract Expressionism as the “Drip Period” (Jackson Pollock; Biography of Jackson Pollock). Pollock’s creation of the Drip Period garnered him a firm reputation as a Modern Artist and Abstract Expressionist. Pollock’s artworks during the Drip Period featured a radical use of paint that raw or unprimed canvases (Stella). Pollock did not use brush nor canvas stretchers in doing his drip paintings (Stella). The large sizes of the canvases were also a striking feature that added controversy to Pollock’s drip paintings (Stella). But at the height of the fame of his drip paintings, Pollock abruptly abandoned his novel, radical, and original technique and began painting artworks with darker theme (Jackson Pollock; Biography of Jackson Pollock).
After 1951, Jackson Pollock’s artworks, painted on unprimed canvases, featured wide use darker colors (Biography of Jackson Pollock). His 1951 artwork, Black and White (No. 20), was a monumental artwork in Abstract Expressionism era as this showed his transition from the drip period to darker-themed paintings. Pollock’s transition was best presented in his Black and White (No. 20) painting, showing traces of his drip painting while exemplifying the dominance of black paint in his works—a feature that will be the main content of his subsequent works. Although little analysis on this artwork can be found on Internet today, its importance on Abstract Expressionism cannot be ignored. Black and White (No. 20) shows Pollock’s elegant representation of deep symbolisms that provided viewers freedom to interpret on their own, letting them relate their own emotions to the painting—a skill and important feature common to 20th century Abstract Expressionism artists.
Works Cited
“Biography of Jackson Pollock.” Jackson Pollock: Biography, Paintings, and Quotes. Jackson Pollock, 2011. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
“Jackson Pollock.” The Art Story: Modern Art Insight. The Art Story, 2014. Web. 08 Dec. 2014
Stella, Paul. “Abstract Expressionism.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
