Jackson Pollock

Also known as Paul Jackson Pollock

American painter (1912–1956)

OverviewAI-generated

Jackson Pollock was an American painter, draftsperson, and printmaker associated with abstract expressionism and action painting. He was born in Cody in 1912 and educated at the Art Students League of New York under Thomas Hart Benton. His notable works include *No. 5, 1948*, *Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)*, and *Blue Poles*. Pollock was sponsored by Peggy Guggenheim and was married to Lee Krasner.

He died in an accidental traffic collision in East Hampton on August 11, 1956. Pollock spoke English and described easel painting as a dying form, noting that modern feeling tended toward the wall picture or mural. His work has been referenced by over one thousand other encyclopedia articles and is described by sources such as UbuWeb.

Synthesized by Vinony from 40 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, Wikiquote, Europeana Sparql, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1912
Died: 1956
Works: 46

Top works

15 years of Jackson Pollock
Images coming through
Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type: Person
Gender: Male
Origin: United States
Active from: 1912
Active to: 1956

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 489
Total plays: 914

Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

Atoms, molecules, solids, and surfaces: Applications of the generalized gradient approximation for exchange and correlation
· 1992 · cited 21,702x
A global reference for human genetic variation
· 2015 · cited 17,783x
Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure
· 2003 · cited 10,088x
Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines
· 2018 · cited 9,648x
The measurement of experienced burnout
· 1981 · cited 9,569x

via Crossref · CC0

Quotes

“As to what I would like to be. It is difficult to say. An Artist of some kind. If nothing else I shall always study the Arts. People have always frightened and bored me, consequently I have been within my own shell and have not accomplished anything materially.”
“I believe easel painting to be a dying form, and the tendency of modern feeling is toward the wall picture or mural..”
“It came into existence because I had to paint it. Any attempt on my part to say something about it, to attempt explanation of the inexplicable, could only destroy it. [1947, on his painting 'She wolf']”
“My painting does not come from the easel. I hardly ever stretch my canvas before painting. I prefer to tack the unstretched canvas to the hard wall or the floor. I need the resistance of a hard surface. On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting. This is akin to the method of the Indian sand painters of the West.”
“When I am in my painting, I am not aware of what I'm doing. It is only after a short of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have been about. I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well.”
“Technic is the result of a need new needs demand new technics total control denial of the accident States of order organic intensity energy and motion made visible memories arrested in space, human needs and motives acceptance”

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Works in European collections

1 object attributed to Jackson Pollock, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

Shooting Star

~37 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Paul Jackson Pollock (/ˈpɒlək/; January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956) was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, he was widely noticed for his "drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a horizontal surface, enabling him to view and paint his canvases from all angles. It was called all-over painting and action painting, because Pollock covered the entire canvas and used the force of his whole body to paint, often in a frenetic dancing style. This extreme form of abstraction divided critics: some praised the immediacy of the creation, while others derided the random effects.

A reclusive and volatile personality, Pollock struggled with alcoholism for most of his life. In 1945, he married artist Lee Krasner, who became an important influence on his career and on his legacy. Pollock died in August 1956 at age 44 in an alcohol-related single-car collision when he was driving. Four months after his death, Pollock was given a memorial retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. A larger, more comprehensive exhibition of his work was held there in 1967. In 1998 and 1999, Pollock's work was honored with large-scale retrospective exhibitions at MoMA and the Tate Gallery in London.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Jackson Pollock” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.