Happy Birthday Jackson Pollock!

Jackson Pollock, "Number 1, 1950" (Lavender Mist),1950, National Gallery of Art

Jackson Pollock, "Number 1, 1950" (Lavender Mist),1950, National Gallery of Art

Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock was born on January 28,1912 in Cody, Wyoming. Although he is best known for his large-scale "drip" paintings, one of Pollock's first art teachers was Missouri-born artist Thomas Hart Benton.

Thomas Hart Benton, The Ballad of the Jealous Lover of Lone Green Valley, det., 1943

Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas

Thomas Hart Benton was part of a group of artists referred to as the Regionalists. His interest was in depicting scenes of normal life in the Midwest. Pollock's early work was strongly influenced by Benton's.

Jackson Pollock, Going West, det., 1934-1938

National Museum of American Art

In the 1940s Jackson Pollock began placing his blank canvases on the floor. He dripped, splattered and poured paint directly from the can to create completely abstracted "action paintings". This technique allowed Pollock the freedom to move around all 4 sides of the painting.

Jackson Pollock's home and studio in New York that he shared with his wife, fellow artist Lee Krasner, have been preserved and made into a study center. You can visit and see the paint splattered studio that Pollock worked in. You can also see the artist at work in this video from the San Francisco Museum of Art.

Jackson Pollock struggled with alcoholism throughout his life. On August 11, 1956 he had a car accident while driving drunk that killed both him and a passenger in his car.

Brea Black

Librarian

Brea Black is the Art Librarian and Book Arts Curator in the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery. Her favorite thing is to share the wonderful world of artists' books with the community. She also leads the Arts & Crafts team and teaches workshops on book making and a variety of other crafty topics.

Art Books