Have you ever strolled through an art gallery and wondered about the artists’ creative process? Take, for instance, the work of the late American Abstract Expressionist artist Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956). Pollock’s famous “drip paintings” (created from 1947 – 1950) featured artful, evocative smatterings of paint that might, at first glance, appear random. However, Pollock’s works were anything but accidental. He generally painted with a vision of the outcome, and his finished pieces were always compositionally balanced.
Deeply influenced by the “pouring” style of Indian sandpainting, Pollock worked with large canvases on the floor. Walking around and often on the canvas -- as though in a meditative trance -- he energetically flung, dripped, spattered and poured paint until he was satisfied with the end product.
Would you like to see Jackson Pollock in action? Below, you’ll find fascinating video footage of the artist painting, narrated by Pollock himself.
This video also offers a rare glimpse into Pollock’s creative process:
Interestingly, research on Pollock’s drip paintings (by physicist and art historian Richard Taylor, for one) has indicated that some of his pieces actually display properties of mathematical fractals. Moreover, this tendency became further pronounced as the artist progressed in his career.
Pollock’s critics dismissed his works as simplistic and messy, but there was clearly more to it than the simple splattering of paint. Through moving meditations, the artist created ingenious Abstract Expressionist artworks infused with primordial patterns. Which is more than just great art; it’s good math, too.
Have a favorite artist-in-action clip? Feel free to share.
Save This Page