ARTH 110
Descriptive Analysis
November 25, 2012 JACKSON POLLOCK There are several artists who have influenced my work and my passion for the arts. One of my favorite is Jackson Pollock. Pollocks works inspire me to be creative even if my creativity is random. “Jackson Pollack was an American artist who had an important influence on modern painting as an important figure in the abstract expressionist movement.”(World Book) Jackson Pollock was born January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming into a family of four boys with Jackson being the youngest. His family moved to California where his father worked for the government as a surveyor. In 1930 Jackson joined his eldest brother Charles in New York City where he attended the Art Students League. There Pollack studied under Thomas Hart Benton. It was at the Art Student League that he first started dabbling in art. Some of his first works were “sketches using twisted counter shifts modeled after European artist such as Michelangelo, Rubens, and one of his personal favorites El Greco.” (nga.gov) He also experimented in pottery. He made several ceramic pieces like vases, bowls and plates. Most of the bowls he created were donated to Mrs. Benton Thomas Benton’s wife to sell for profits to help benefit the struggling artist in the area. The paintings created during 1931-1934 like Going West or Bird is examples of abstract expressionism. Growing up in the west Pollack painted several pieces with western scenes. “He made spasmodic trips to that area after he came to live in New York as a young man and his consciousness was conditioned, always, by early memories of the West.”(Robertson, B.) At first glance the early collection might be overlooked for a piece by an amateur painter because at the time he was an amateur painter. As his craft grew so did his painting style and theme. His works begin to reflect his sporadic emotions. “Jackson Pollock said regarding his art "When I am in a painting,