Pollock Jackson paintings are significant. Famous paintings by Jackson Pollock
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Jackson Pollock, full name Paul Jackson Pollock, - American artist, one of the most influential figures of Abstract Expressionism. His painting "Number 5, 1948", sold at Sotheby's for $140 million, is by far the most expensive work of art.
Jackson Pollock "Number 5, 1948"
Pollock was born on January 28, 1912 in the town of Cody to Leroy Pollock and Stella Mae McClure, and there were four other older children in the family.
The family moved often, but most Pollock spent his childhood in Arizona and California.
When Jackson was 11 years old, his friend cut off the knuckle of his finger in an accident.
In 1928, Jackson entered the Los Angeles High School of the Arts, from where he was expelled after a year for unsatisfactory behavior.
From his youth, he became interested in mysticism, in particular with the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, according to his teachings, the truth is revealed to a person intuitively, in the process of free “outpouring” of the personality.
In the future, Pollock used the free “outpouring” method to create his canvases.
In 1930, he and his brother Charles moved to New York, where he studied with Thomas Hart Benton, an anti-modernist American regionalist champion of realistic painting.
At this time, under the influence of Benton, Pollock became addicted to alcohol, which he would struggle with for many years.
In 1937, Pollock underwent treatment for alcohol addiction in a psychiatric hospital; during this period, he became interested in the works of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, trying to cope with a depressive state with the help of psychoanalysis.
1938 becomes turning point in Pollock's life and work - he moves away from realism, deviating more and more into abstract art and surrealism.
In the late 1930s, Pollock was noticed by the curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, John Graham, who subsequently introduced Pollock to his future wife, artist Lee Krasner, who had a significant influence on him and introduced him to the New York art community.
Lee Krasner in his workshop
They married in 1944, and a year later moved to a house in East Hapton, where Jackson set up a workshop.
It was Lee Krasner who introduced him to the circle of young artists, where abstract expressionism was born under the influence of the ideas of Andre Breton. He wasn't something uniform style, but rather a general point of view on art - a spontaneous expression inner world artists, subjective associations of the subconscious in chaotic, disorganized logical thinking abstract forms.
In 1943, Krasner introduced Pollock to Peggy Guggenheim, the creator of the Solomon Guggenheim Museum, in the same year she presented the artist’s painting “Stenographic Figure” to the public and organized his first solo exhibition, which was a resounding success.
Jackson Pollock "Stenographic Figure"
Following the success of Shorthand Figure (1942) and his solo exhibition, Peggy Guggenheim signed him to a one-year contract in exchange for a significant portion of his work and commissioned him to paint the entrance to her New York residence.
In 1944, the artist created the painting “Gothic” without a single figurative element.
Jackson Pollock "Gothic"
In 1947, Pollock invented “drip painting,” earning him the nickname Jack the Dripper.
Pollock's "drip painting", or dripping method, which appeared in 1947, involves the absence of contact between the canvas and the brush, the paint is splashed. The artist himself calls it “flowing technique.” His movements during the painting process resembled a shamanic dance, which was captured by photographer Hans Nemat in 1950.
Pollock abandoned the stretcher and began to spread the canvas directly on the floor. He did not paint with a brush, but only sprayed paint directly from cans, worked with a palette knife and knife, and mixed sand and crushed glass into the paint.
Pollock was familiar with the so-called sand painting- the ritual custom of the Navajo Indians to create sand paintings.
He saw the exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in the 1940s, and he may have encountered it during his travels in the West, although this question has not been fully clarified.
Other influences on his spattering technique are the aforementioned Rivera and Orozco, as well as surrealist automatism.
Pollock did not acknowledge the existence of chance; he usually had specific ideas for creating a painting.
This was embodied in the movements of his body, which he had complete control over, combined with the thick flow of paint, the force of gravity and the way the paint was absorbed into the canvas.
A combination of controllable and uncontrollable. Throwing, throwing, splashing, he energetically moved around the canvas, as if dancing and did not stop until he saw what he wanted to see.
Subsequently, this technique began to be called dripping or splashing, although the artist himself preferred the term pouring technique
“My painting has nothing to do with the easel. I have hardly ever stretched canvas onto a stretcher. I prefer to nail the canvas to the wall or floor. I should feel the resistance of the hard surface. It's easiest on the floor. I feel closer to painting, part of it, I can walk around it, work with four sides and literally be inside it. I continue to move away from the usual tools of an artist, such as an easel, palette and brushes. I prefer sticks, scoops, knives and flowing paint or a mixture of paint and sand, broken glass or something else. When I'm inside a painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. Understanding comes later. I have no fear of changes or destruction of the image, since the picture lives its own own life. I'm just helping her out. But if I lose contact with the painting, it becomes dirty and messy. If not, then this is pure harmony, the ease of how you take and give.”
Hans Namuth, a young photography student, became interested in Pollock's work and wanted to photograph him at work and make a film.
Pollock even promised to start new job specifically for the photo shoot, however, when Namuth arrived, he apologized and said that the work had already been completed.
In Faking Jackson Pollock Paintings
News from the world of art
Jackson Pollock. Number 5. 1948
I'm opening a new section News from the world of art - nothing personal.
The first message was a story about the theft and discovery of a painting by the Russian marine landscape painter A.P. Bogolyubova http://galik-123.livejournal.com/64769.html.
And then came the second news from December 2, 2014:
Moscow. December 2nd. INTERFAX.RU - A New York resident admitted to selling a fake Jackson Pollock work, reports The New York Times.
John Re, 54, was accused of selling dozens of paintings that he passed off as works by artists such as Pollock and Willem de Kooning. According to the prosecution, he managed to earn about $2.5 million from selling counterfeits, part of which was spent on the purchase of a submarine. Re pleaded guilty to only one of the counts - selling a fake Pollock. The man faces up to 10 years in prison. He will be sentenced in April.
Interestingly, the authenticity of the submarine that Ryo bought is also being questioned. The man claims that it was created by the largest American aircraft and shipbuilder Lockheed Corporation and was previously used by the military. According to Re, he bought it for $70,000 and spent about a million dollars on upgrading it.
Full text of the message: An American bought a submarine with money from the sale of a fake Jackson Pollock - Interfax.
About the artist Jackson Pollock
The most famous and most expensive painting American abstract artist Jackson Pollock 1948, entitled "Number 5. 1948" was sold in 2006 at Sotheby's for $140 million. David Giffen, the famous film producer and collector, sold it to Mexican financier David Martinez. The canvas "Number 5" became the most expensive painting in the world. This amount still remains the largest ever paid for a painting. For the first time in the top ten expensive works art included a work created after the Second World War. Since this period, art has been considered modern. Previously the most dear artists there were impressionists and post-impressionists in the world: Van Gogh, Picasso. Then a painting by modernist Gustav Klimt worth $135 million appeared in the first line of the list. Of the old masters, there is only one painting by Rubens worth $76 million on the list.
Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, NY. Wyoming January 28, 1912. He grew up in a working-class family and was the youngest of five sons. Pollock was expelled from the Graduate School twice applied arts In Los Angeles. In 1930, he moved to New York, where he studied for three years at the League of Young Artists on the course of Thomas Hart Benton. In 1936, he took a job in the Union Square experimental workshop of a Mexican craftsman. fresco painting David Siqueiros. This played a decisive role in shaping him as an artist. Under Siqueiros' guidance, he began experimenting with the use of unconventional materials, such as house paints, and practicing revolutionary methods of applying paint to surfaces - spraying, splattering and dripping. Later, in 1941, Pollock attended an exhibition of Indian sand paintings at the Museum natural history, which inspired him to invent a method of applying paint based on energetic, broad strokes.
His technique of applying paint to canvas, called "action painting", earned him the nickname Jack the Dripper, by analogy with Jack the Ripper - Jack the Ripper. The work "Number 4" (1951) is an example of the use this method. Pollock suffered from alcohol addiction throughout his life and died in a car accident while driving in drunk, August 11, 1956. Most famous paintings Pollock's works were created in the 50s, a period of intense creative activity.
Jackson Pollock. Lavender Mist: Number 1 1950
Jackson Pollock. Autumn Rhythm: Number 30 (Autumn Rhythm: Number 30) 1950
Jackson Pollock. Number 4: Number 4. 1951
Blue Poles: Number 11 1952
Jackson Pollock. Depth. 1953
“No chaos, damn it!” - Jackson Pollock exclaimed after reading negative review young Italian critic about his works. He denied any chance in his painting, and the unique splashing technique was for him the ideal means to achieve his goal. It was even a kind of ritual, a mystical act for Pollock, because it is not without reason that in his work one can see echoes of authentic painting of the Navajo Indians with its primitive beginning. While working on the canvas, the main thing for Pollock was control over the process of work, over the distribution of these seemingly chaotic spots of color, absolute connection with the picture.
It all started for Pollock at the age of 18, when in 1939 he and his brother began studying with Thomas Benton, one of the most prominent representatives of American regionalism. In that early period Jackson was fascinated by the works of Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, but later delved into symbolism. But life was not so simple for him, because in 1940 his father died and his entire subsequent existence was spent in hopeless poverty and hunger, in addition, problems with alcohol began, and with them numerous troubles. He even ended up in prison several times. And when Pollock was treated by psychoanalyst Joseph Henderson, a representative of the Jung school, he became seriously interested in the theory of the unconscious. And it was from this moment that his experiments in painting began, which later brought him incredible success.
But an important factor in his path to fame was his acquaintance with Peggy Guggenheim, the famous collector, millionaire and founder of the Solomon Guggenheim Museum. It was thanks to her that his painting “Stenographic Figure” was exhibited in the gallery, later a personal exhibition of Pollock’s works was organized, and the work “She-Wolf” was purchased for the Museum’s collection contemporary art in NYC. This was already a success. But Pollock went further.
A new painting technique began to emerge while the artist was working on a fresco commissioned by Peggy Guggenheim for her home. For many months, Pollock was depressed, just looking at the huge canvas measuring 6 by 2.7 meters lying on the floor, and not knowing how to cope with such a serious order, because he had never done anything like this before. But when he had a glimmer of inspiration, the work was completed literally within 24 hours and received more than positive reviews. Then Pollock began to create exclusively monumental works. Perhaps this was precisely the impetus for the invention of a fundamentally new technology drawing, which finally took shape in 1947.
Then he and his wife Lee Krasner bought a farmhouse in Springs, in East Hampton, and set up a workshop in an old barn next to the house. Starting to work, he spread huge canvases on the floor and began to splash paint over the canvases without even touching them with a brush. In the process of creating the canvas, Pollock relied solely on his own emotions and intuition. Later, because of this, art critics nicknamed Pollock “Jack the Sprinkler,” although the artist himself more often used the term “flowing technique.” Interestingly, Pollock did not use watercolors for this technique and oil paints, as they blurred across the canvas. Therefore, the artist switched to using synthetic paints. He was an opponent of easel painting and preferred to work moving around the picture, as if even being inside it, becoming part of it. The art itself, at the moment of work, became a crazy symbiosis of controlled movements of his body and uncontrollably dripping paint onto the canvas. Perhaps this is why the famous American art critic Harold Rosenberg in 1952 described Pollock’s signature technique as “action painting.” In his opinion, all movements on canvas were aimed at liberation from political, aesthetic and moral values.
Thus, Jackson Pollock became one of the leaders of the abstract expressionism movement, whose prominent representatives were also Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. But the most famous and expensive painting was created by Pollock in 1948, the title of which was very minimalistic - “Number 5”. In 2006, this painting was sold at auction for $140 million, becoming the most expensive in the world at that time. In 1949, he already exhibited at the Betty Parsons Gallery, and Life magazine published an interview with him, praising him and calling him almost the greatest artist America. After this, Pollock became really famous and some of his works were sold for quite decent money. But under the pressure of popularity, the artist began to drink again and at the same time had a very difficult character. Thus, he sank deeper and deeper into depression, and the tone of his work after 1951 became increasingly darker. Meanwhile, Pollock was also abandoned by his wife Lee Krasner, who could no longer stand his infidelities. All this led to the artist’s death on August 11, 1956 as a result of a car accident when he was driving drunk while returning from a party.
If as a child you dreamed of splashing paint on the walls and floor, but your parents forbade you and considered it harmful nonsense, then it’s time to break this pattern. After all, this is approximately how he created his paintings Jackson Pollock- an artist of the twentieth century. He simply laid a canvas on the floor, walked around it in circles and waved a brush with paint like a magic wand.
Pollock's paintings still raise many questions and make us think about whether outstanding talent to paint the way he did. Was the artist a real genius or just a person who followed the path of least resistance, wanting to attract attention with ideas that were new and unusual for that time?
To shed at least a drop of light on this question, let's take a look at the pages of life and the paintings of Jackson Pollock and find out how his creative development took place.
As a child, he did not have great drawing abilities, and no one could even imagine for a second that he could become a leader in abstract expressionism. However, it early years were full of various events: either the family once again moved from place to place, then his father changed his profession, then he himself future artist became an accidental victim of his own friend, who inadvertently cut off the phalanx of his finger. All these incidents and surprises turned out to be so bright and intense that it becomes clear why Jackson Pollock began to paint his future paintings in such an unusual style that is unlike any other.
He preferred flowing paint, sticks, and other miscellaneous objects to the standard artist's tools, and felt at one with a painting only when it lay on the floor rather than attached to an easel. In the mind of Jackson Pollock, the material and intangible, space in reality and in the painting was created special world, in which perfect harmony reigned.
Pollock was interested in sand painting of the Navajo Indians, for whom it was part of some rituals. In addition, he had several “landmarks”, inspirational artists, whose work influenced his own style. Among them are Jose Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera.
In 1943, at an exhibition organized by Peggy Guggenheim, the “Stenographic Figure” was presented - perhaps the strangest and at the same time unique picture Jackson Pollock.
Another famous work of the artist is “No. 5, 1948”. Already in 2006, it was sold for $140 million. This painting by Jackson Pollock became the most expensive at that time.
It is worth saying that even in the years when Pollock studied at High school applied arts, one of the teachers aroused in the young man an interest in Theosophy. One can only guess how strong the influence on the worldview and psyche is. young artist this occult movement had an effect, because later he began to suffer from alcoholism, visited a psychiatric hospital and, apparently, was in a state more than once deep depression, as Jackson Pollock's paintings became darker and gloomier over the years. But many people who observed the creation process said that the artist’s work was more like meditation, and the master himself seemed to be in a state of deep trance.
Emotions rage in the work of Jackson Pollock, it reflects his worst nightmares, the depressing impression of psychiatric hospital, despair due to the inability to cope with the harmful effects of alcohol. But at the same time, his paintings reflect the artist’s desire for the future, and his desire to change for the better, and the hope that one day life will become joyful and happy for him.
The dramatic fate of Jackson Pollock attracted the attention of director Ed Harris, and already in 2000 the world saw the film. The plot of the film covers from 1941 to 1956, inviting viewers to plunge into the artist’s life, filled with painful and sensual moments, and look at exactly how Jackson Pollock created his most famous paintings. The artist was played by Ed Harris himself. The film caused a lot of confusion and strong emotions from the public, and therefore he was awarded several awards, including an Oscar in one of the categories.
Today we can hardly appreciate how significant the appearance of the Jackson Pollock phenomenon in art was for the viewer of the 20th century. The artist's work was a new look at art, a sip fresh air, something decidedly new, daring and defiant, contrasting with classical ideas about painting.
But over the past decades, many artists have emerged who strive to emulate his unique style. New masters take the artist’s style as a basis and transform it in their own way. They are convinced that Pollock paid more attention not to what to draw, but to how to do it.
To a modern person, “flowing technology” will not seem innovative and so impressive. Although many followers of Jackson Pollock learned to draw not just with sticks and flowing paints, but also with eyes, noses and even something more interesting. But at the same time, each of them uses almost the main testament that the artist left:
“I think paintings should be enjoyed like music. You may or may not like them. But overall, don't take it too seriously."
American artist Jackson Pollock was a leading force in abstract expressionism in the second half of the 20th century. His greatness lies in the development of one of the most radical abstract styles in the history of modern art, separating line from color, redefining the categories of drawing and finding new ways to describe space.
In its August 8, 1949 edition, Life magazine published an article about Jackson Pollock that asked, "Is he the greatest living artist in the United States?" Can an artist pour paint onto a canvas to create cool swirls of color and line? Can this be considered great? The New York critics certainly thought so, and Pollock's supremacy among the Abstract Expressionists passed on over the years, bolstered by legends of his alcoholism and consequent early death.
Pollock's inspiration
Paul Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912. His father was a farmer and often took his son on trips. Due to this, young Jackson became quite familiar with the culture of Native Americans. This influenced the master’s work, although he himself said that he did not intentionally imitate their art. His early stories resembled the creations of Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco.
In 1929, Jackson Pollock studied in New York under the tutelage of Thomas Hart Benton. In the early 1930s, he worked in a regionalist style—predominantly depicting life in the Midwest. One of prominent representatives flow was Grant Wood with his famous painting"American Gothic". Pollock was also interested in surrealism, where Salvador Dali is rightfully considered the leader.
In November 1939, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held an important exhibition of Picasso, which collected 344 works, including the famous Guernica. The exhibit made Pollock recognize the expressive power of European modernism, and he began to create a new style.
Paintings by Jackson Pollock
Afterwards a new artistic avant-garde appeared. The war and its aftermath were fueled by a movement that became known as Abstract Expressionism. Jackson Pollock, alarmingly aware of human irrationality and vulnerability, expressed his concern abstract art, which talks about torture and suffering. By the mid-1940s, he introduced his famous "drip paintings", which represent some of his most original works.
Jackson splashed and poured paint onto the canvas. He did not like easels and brushes, but preferred sticks and spatulas. The artist himself called his method the pouring technique, for which he received the nickname Jack the Sprinkler. This form of painting had a connection with the surrealist movement, as it directly related to the expression of the emotions and mood of the creator.
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In many ways, Pollock was helped by his wife Lee Krasner. Together they bought a house in Springs, where the innovator set up his workshop. There are several of the most important works, which allow us to trace the years of creativity and life of the artist.
"To the West" of 1934-35 is characterized by a dark, almost mystical quality. The swirling shapes that structure the image evoke emotional intensity, similar to those of El Greco and Van Gogh.
To the west The Secret Keepers of 1943 is often interpreted as a metaphor for the emergence of unconscious impulses into conscious thought, representing a synthesis of Pollock's sources of inspiration. The imagery attracts Africans, Native Americans, and prehistoric art. Abstract male and female "guardians" have been interpreted in a variety of ways: as Northwest Indian totems, Egyptian gods, even as combinations playing cards and chess pieces in African masks.
The 1943 "Mural" reflects Jackson's transition to "drip art." The "all over" technique was inspired by a variety of sources, including Picasso, Benton and Siqueiros. The painting became the first large-scale work to be commissioned for the apartment of the famous gallery owner and collector Peggy Guggenheim. Among the cult works are also the painting “Shimmering Substance”, “No. 5, 1948”, “Free Form” and many others.
№ 5, 1948
In 1951, at the height of the artist's career, Vogue magazine published photographs of models created by Cecil Beaton against the backdrop of Pollock's paintings. Although this public recognition was a symptom of the inevitable popularization of avant-garde culture, the artist constantly doubted the direction of his art. At the height of his fame, he suddenly abandoned his signature style. Jackson's work after 1951 was darker in color, including a collection painted black on unrelated canvases. These paintings were called "Black Fill" and no one bought them at an exhibition at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York. However, Pollock later moved to a more commercial gallery, returning to the use of colored elements.
Film about Jackson Pollock
Jackson's influence on art is invaluable. However, he struggled with depression for a long time and drank heavily. This led to the tragedy that happened in 1956. Pollock, being drunk, crashed his car. After his death, all the artist’s paintings were sold out almost instantly. Even those that the innovator did not have time to finish were bought by avant-garde connoisseurs and collectors. Later, in 1973, the painting “Look Like a Monkey” was sold for a then-record two million dollars.
Pollock's art lives on in contemporary works. This is how the famous Japanese brand, a manufacturer of collectible vinyl toys, created the Jackson Pollock collection dedicated to its iconic style. The work was published in collaboration with Pollock's studio.
4 films are dedicated to the artist. The first, entitled “Jackson Pollock,” was released in 1987. This is a documentary film showing footage from the life of the artist. This was followed by Jackson Pollock: Love and Death on Long Island, part of the Great Masters series of stories.
The 2006 feature film Who the #$&% Is This Jackson Pollock? talks about a lady who accidentally bought a painting by an artist for $5. The most famous work considered a film by Ed Harris called “Pollock”, where the director himself played the main role.
The avant-garde artist’s paintings appear in various films not directly related to him. Notable work"No. 5, 1948" appears in the films "Contraband" and "Ex Machina". And David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis features credits created in Jackson's style.