Jackson Pollock

[crumpet]

I'm starting this thread in part as a response to the 'artist's you dislike' one, but also because I was planning on writing it at some stage anyway.

Over the past year or so I've become absolutely enamoured with Pollock's work. I didn't really know anything much about him before then — we studied all Australian art in high school, first year uni only touched briefly on art theory basics, and I studied the film/photography theory component in second year. So I've come to Pollock (and other American artists) pretty much on my own.

It started last year when I was reading a book about science and art (The Artful Universe, by John D. Barrow (http://www.amazon.com/Artful-Universe-Expanded-John-Barrow/dp/B000KHXBWW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201956503&sr=1-1)), and one chapter went into detail on fractal geometry. It talked about Pollock's paintings and the way they appear to follow fractal structure (part of chaos theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_theory)), which is pretty damn incredible. I went on to watch the Pollock film and a couple of documentaries, and have recently purchased a wonderful book called Pollock: Veiling the Image (http://www.amazon.com/Jackson-Pollock-Veiling-Donald-Wigal/dp/1859959555/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201956605&sr=1-1).

I find his drip/splatter paintings incredibly moving. The energy is incredible, and they really speak to me of the magic and intricacy of nature — something that is highlighted in the films and books as part of Pollock's driving force in creating work. And while a lot of people dismiss the work as something anyone could do, I just don't see it — every time I see one of those works, I can't get over how incredibly difficult and intense an experience it would be to create.

I feel like hopping a plane to Canberra for a day just to sit in the gallery and stare. :)

[inkgal8290]

i have hopped a plain to camberra to sit in front of blue poles.......after a while it moves and has movments smetimes looks like a raging sea some times like a wispfull breeze.....someone once challanged pollock that he was not refuring to nature enough and stated that he would just be repeating himself with out this reference to nature...to this he replied.....i am nature....good reply

[Adaerel]

Crumpet I feel a bit stupid because I bagged the use of Jackson Pollocks technique by artists these days saying it was a cop out and I didnt realise that you had used the technique in your work I am Nature. I didnt make the link between the quote and your work. I do really love those paintings you did, I stand by that.

Was Pollock representational abstraction or non representational abstraction. I mean which came first, the title Blue Poles or the blue poles splashed. Does he intend to represent anything in his work. I mean could I smear my shit on a canvas and title it Mickey Mouse because I can see the image of Steam Boat Willie in the smears? More power to him if that is what he did, I am just wondering.

[crumpet]

Crumpet I feel a bit stupid because I bagged the use of Jackson Pollocks technique by artists these days saying it was a cop out and I didnt realise that you had used the technique in your work I am Nature. I didnt make the link between the quote and your work. I do really love those paintings you did, I stand by that.


lol. :)

I'd actually done the first part of the painting, and sat down for a break with the Pollock book, which had just arrived. I was flipping through when I found the "I am nature" quote, and it just encompassed so perfectly what I was trying to get at. I didn't really use any drip techniques in the paintings — I haven't figured out how to do it well with acrylics (but it is something i do a fair bit with washes on a lithographic stone).

[inkgal8290]

jackson pollock was challanged by an art critic in regards to the fact he was not working from any thing outside himself....the critic stated that if there is no reference to nature you will repeat yourself....to this jackson replied i am nature....my god how did he drink all that wretched alcohol also.....it was a driving force early in the piece....later he would just drink and stare at a blank canvus.....what fired him eventually stopped him ...than that car crash....i dont have allot of respect for his lifestyle but it dosent stop me from loving his work

[Steve Gray]

"I am nature", it's a great statement and one that stopped me in my tracks as an art student... I love Blue Poles, and yes take the trip to Canberra and listen to all the idiots looking at it without any sense or sensibility. I dub it to be one of the most brilliant masterpieces of our time. Working from no reference point (or trying to work in a void) can be a dud for sure, but I would argue in his case he has created from nature, (past memories and daily interaction etc) and then extended on it.