An Unusual Style

Jackson Pollock, Blue Poles: Number II, 1952, enamel and aluminum paint with glass on canvas, 82 7/8" x 15' 11 5/8"
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Jackson Pollock is what you could consider a "Ground Breaking" artist. Though Mr. Pollock had a short life, only 44 years old when he died, he experienced events such as World War II. He was born and raised in Arizona and California where he helped his dad at a job on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. There, it was thought that he developed a long-term compulsive fear. He was a high-school drop-out, but later went on to study art at a place called Art Students League, where he met a man named Thomas Hart Benton who was thought to be a major influence on Pollack's life. He was also influenced by various people such as El Greco and Diego Rivera. Unfortunatly, Pollock was an unrelenting drinker which greatly affected his artwork and essentially dominated his life.

This painting was originally bought for the highest price of any modern artwork of its time. It is now thought to be between about $100-$150 million dolars. It is similar to most Pollock paintings except for the fact that eight blue poles have been dripped down the canvas. This work of art could be considered formalism because it is made up of lines, but could also be emotionalism because the painting was possibly created to give the viewer a specific feeling. The feeling could be anything depending on how you view this piece.

I think Jackson Pollock's work is misunderstood by many, myself included, but it would would be very interesting to learn about the first modern artist to be taken seriously in Europe