Who Was Jackson Pollock?
Jackson Pollock was an American artist who became famous for a completely wild and new way of painting. Instead of standing at an easel with a paintbrush, Pollock laid his huge canvases flat on the floor and DRIPPED, POURED, and SPLATTERED paint all over them!
He would walk around the canvas, sometimes dancing, swinging cans of paint so drips flew everywhere, flicking brushes loaded with paint, and even using sticks and turkey basters to squeeze paint onto the surface.
His style is called action painting because the physical ACTION of making the painting is part of the art. He moved his whole body — his arms, his wrists, his legs — in rhythm, almost like he was dancing. The paint traces show the movements of his body.
People were shocked when they first saw his paintings. Some said it was not real art. But others saw the incredible energy, rhythm, and beauty in the layers of dripped paint. Today, Pollock is considered one of the most important American artists ever.
His paintings are huge — some are 20 feet wide! Up close, you see a tangled web of drips and splashes. But step back and you see patterns, rhythms, and an amazing sense of movement and energy.