In response to I. and II. : The author attempts to make a parallel between the contradictions found in Jackson Pollack’s own life; his rebellious behavior and his attempt to “like this world” through painting; and the contradictions in his “knowing technique”; the “way weight and lightness, thickness and airiness, impediment and release” present themselves in his work. The author seeks to prove this idea through intertwining descriptions of Pollack’s art and descriptions of Polack’s experiences/legacy. Before I comment on these things, I would like to say that the “splatter paint” technique was new and unheard of. To be the first and successful is a difficult thing, and for Pollack it involved much creativity. Even the idea that each painting captured his movements and possibly the mood he was experiencing at that exact moment is very fascinating. But I would not go as far as this author does, and like many have, to give some sort of spiritual existence, a heavenly “unrestraint and accuracy” to Pollack’s paintings. Rather, I propose that Pollack painted “a coat” of unrestraint and then painted a second with accuracy.
Jackson Pollack had an eye for aesthetically pleasing elements and employed design techniques accurately. If he did paint without restraint then I imagine he filled in areas he didn’t like intentionally. This is OK because he had an eye for what pleases the human eye, mainly because he had a human eye! He uses high contrast in almost all of his works. The lines and drips are dramatically placed, overlapping, circling, and spinning; consistently drawing our eye to a new place. To rest, the viewer must resort to viewing Pollack’s painting again as a single piece or texture. His work remains fresh because of the difficulty to respond to every element in one sitting, all of the colors, directions, and harmonized shapes. This is why I like his work. His paintings please my eye because my eye responds to specific spatial, directional, and color elements. I don’t have to focus on one thing. I don’t have to worry about a message (unless his title guides me). I can stick it on my wall and enjoy it as an aesthetic composition.
I'd have to agree with your interpretation and reasoning for liking Pollack's work. I like that by discovering this method of painting, he almost rebelled the traditional art forms and boundaries and instead solely focused on expressing himself and making his works aesthetically pleasing. It's visually engaging as your eye never sits still and there is no real focal point. If you followed every line in the painting you'd be staring at it for hours! Instead if you step back and and just look at the colors and contrast you can really appreciate his work and through that appreciate Pollack as an artist.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Pollack had a way of moving our eye around the page in a new way. I'm not a fan of Pollack particularly, but I can appreciate the way he created and that he broke away from the formality of traditional art. I read somewhere that he would nail the canvas to the floor so he could splatter from all directions. If this hold true, this is probably why he was so successful in creating a continuous movement in his paintings.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad you did an article on Pollack because the more I look at him the more I like his work. At first I really hated him because it all seemed too easy. After experimenting with this type of work, you will discover that it is not easy. And for his time it was so new and exciting to paint this way! I agree with you that his paintings are easy and pleasant to look at because your eye never stops moving. He makes the perfect conversation piece.
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