In this painting Pollock uses enamel paints instead of acrylic paints because when Pollock moved from easel painting to dripping or pouring paint onto a canvas he was able to get long, continuous lines which is impossible to get by applying paint to a canvas with a brush. Pollock used industrial paint with a fluid viscosity because it allowed him to get smooth and continuous lines.
Pollock was influenced by the method of walking around the artwork from the four sides and literally being in the painting is akin to the method of Indian sand painters of the West. Color Field Painters Helen Frankenthaler and Morris Louis influenced Pollock to painting into a raw canvas; Frank Stella who made ‘all over compositions’ major factor in the 1960s also influenced Pollock’s painting style.
The technique of the paint appliqué called ‘drip painting’ allows Pollock to apply paint from all angles and sides of the canvas, which allows him to explore the dimensions of the painting. “New needs need new techniques. And the modern artists have found new ways and new means of making their statements.” Jackson Pollock. By Pollock exploring this new way of applying paint and type of paints onto the canvas, it emphasizes the freedom and originality in this artwork. Pollock’s work shows when making an artwork, that there are no boundaries and that there are always new techniques to be found. This original painting style that Pollock used is what he is famous for now, it is his legacy in modern art.
In Plate 2 Blue Poles achieves freedom and originality through composition, color, texture and lines. Pollock uses the same drip painting technique in this painting. “I continue to get further away from the usual painter’s tools such as an easel, palette, brushes, etc.” Blue Poles has been executed on an unstretched canvas laid on the floor, splashing and pouring paint onto the surface. This is regarded as ‘performance art’. Pollock also believed about the abandonment of traditional painting tools. Pollock preferred to use sticks, cooking basters or pour from the can. By using these tools he reflected and the responded to contemporary life. By using these original tools and methods in this artwork, it allows Pollock to experiment. There is freedom to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in art, which enables Pollock to discover new techniques and methods by abandoning traditional aspects of art making and using new media that has never been used before.
Although the painting looks non-structured and disorganized, Pollock achieves control by placing the blue poles in the painting. The large blue lines show is the control. The dominant dark poles look structured compared to the background because of use of color. The thick blue poles act as an anchor in the picture representing stability and control. The lines in this artwork leave the audiences’ eyes to keep following the infinite amount of lines in the painting.
This painting has a lot of subject matter and depth in the picture. Depth is achieved through the layering of the paint creating many angles and dimensions. The oil, enamel and aluminum paint used has a fluid viscosity which allows the paint to have a continuous smooth effect which allows the lines to flow from one corner to another, also known as ‘ all over’ painting. The line is flowing however there is hardness to the edges as they are splattered on harshly. The flowing of the lines creates movement through the piece by making the viewer draw their attention to many aspects of the painting.
The choice of using industrial paint emphasizes that there was a lot of freedom and originality as Pollock experimented with his media and and abandoned traditional paints. Shows there are no boundaries and that there is complete freedom of original ideas and experimentation. The tools which are viewed as abandoning tradition has now grown to be more acceptable, due to Pollock being able to freely experiment with his original idea in his modern artworks.
The texture is thick because paint is layered on top of each other. By having the texture thick it creates the illusion that the painting is three-dimensional. Although the painting is busy it is anchored through the use of color. The background is a vibrant orange, yellow and white paint but is stabillised and controlled with the thick navy blue poles across the painting.
Pollock’s aim in painting is to express feeling that ranges from pleasant enthusiasm through wildness to explosiveness. The style is personal and unlike many other modern painters, the individuality is in the way the medium is used rather than the subject matter. As a modern artist he worked with space, time, feelings, expressing the energy, the motion and other inner forces. Pollock’s artwork represented the age of change in society and by doing, so he presented people with an ‘avant- garde’ artwork in the area of abstract expressionism. The artworks signified society’s perspective of what art has evolved to and how a new movement of art was coming. Pollock was ahead of time and was pushing the boundaries; his art introduced new approaches and experimentation. Pollock broke into new territory and was a dawn of a new age. Today, Pollock’s work has grown to be more socially acceptable and appreciated as Pollock is the legacy of Abstract Expressionism. Pollock achieved freedom and originality through the use of new media, techniques and making statements through his artworks. Although there has been controversy in the past about Pollock’s work, his original, modern and free artworks are merely making a statement, as Pollock leaves his comfortable world of conformity, to make an effort to create an outside of the box that tests the boundaries of what art is and could be.
Bibliography
Picture 1- Lavender Mist
URL-
Date Accessed- 19/5/12
Published- 16 June 2002
Publisher- WebMuseum
Picture 2- Blue Poles
URL-
Date Accessed- 19/5/12
Published- ( re-published) 2012
Publisher- Australian Government
Quotes
URL-
Published- 2001-2012
Publisher- Brainy Quote
Date Accessed- 19/5/12
URL-
Publisher- N/A
Modified- 19 May 2012
Date Accessed- 19/5/12