During WWII a group of painters from Europe, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Marc Chagall and Yves Tanguy, presented their avant garde to New York City, leading American painters with inspiration to become abstract-expressionists. It became a movement in the 1940s and 1950s centering in New York City and known as "The New York School."
The styles of the followers were diverse as the painters themselves with two major tendencies. One was titled "Action Painter" whose concern was with paint texture and consistency with their gesture and the others; "Color-Field" painters gave the work an impact by using unified color and shape.
Pollock's Influence
American painter Jackson Pollock is know as the commanding figure of the movement. His education started at the Los Angeles Manual Arts High School but he was expelled for his behavior. He moved with his brother Charles to New York City and studied at the Arts Student League.
Pollock's early works came under the influence of Diego Rivera and Siquieros Orozco, two Mexican muralists. Siqueiros is one he worked with in the experimental workshop. Jacksons's work became very symbolic from the impressions he received visiting the exhibits of Picasso and surrealist art.
During the 1930s he was a traveler, but he settled in New York to work on the WPA Federal Art projects during the years from 1935 to 1941. His first solo exhibit was in 1943 at the Peggy Guggenheim Art of the Century gallery.
Pollock the Action Painter
Pollock is known as an "action-painter." In his early years he would fill a canvas with dark sexual and untamed imagery painted with violent intensity. One example, Stereographic Figure, displays the darkness with bursts of color; bright and clear.
In 1947 he delivered his self developed technique. Placing canvas on the floor, he attacked it from all directions. After pouring paint directly onto the canvas with paint brushes he threw his arm into action with paint; never coming into contact with the canvas and emphasizing all parts of the canvas equally with no visual center of attention. Beacuse of this approach, in a 1956 Time magazine article he was titled satirically "Jack the Dripper."
Pollock's Success
Pollock's first exhibition of his paintings was shown at the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1948, producing a sellout. With his success he moved to a bigger studio and created a new series of paintings for 1950 and was declared by Life magazine as the greatest living American artist.
Fine example paintings of his technique are Autumn Rythm no.30 and No.1 (Lavender Mist). In Autumn Rythm no.30 the abstractness makes no direct reference to the outside world. With No.1 (Lavender Mist.) one can see the liveliness of the scribble of color with spattered lines. He said his work was to stir up world rythmic nature.
Pollock-"One that Broke the Ice"
At first Jackson Pollock was highly judged by critics. They referred him as nothing but an amateur. However; he was highly supported by fellow artists and advanced critics.
As noted by Nicholas Pioch in a July 2002 article on his website WebMuseum Paris, William de Koonig, another abstract artist, said "He broke the ice" suggesting that he did show what art could become. Jackson Pollock was the first "all over" painter.
With his action method he danced a way of ecstasy over his spread canvas. Painting had a life of its own and it was an action. There is not a subject but the paint and canvas itself.
Todd Murray - Todd Murray is a Pittsburgh native who at 12 years of age was considering the ministry until he discovered Van Gogh’s art after ...
