January 28, 2012

Jackson Pollock, perhaps the most controversial artist of the already controversial 20^th century, was born one hundred years ago today on January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. He was only 44 when he died. He remains a polarizing figure in art and culture, but for all the right reasons. He is derided on each level of society for his drip paintings of the late 1940s and early 1950s. From Joe Six-Pack claiming that his third grade daughter could do just as well, to post-modern scholars deriding the assertion that the arts can contain a singular heroic act, many can meet and agree that Pollock is overrated while sharing no other cultural attitudes. Feminists scold the complex relationship he maintained with his wife, the painter Lee Krasner, and the entire Pop Art and Pop Surrealist movements seem simply to exist to stand in opposition to what Pollock created.

I have loved Pollock’s drip paintings since I first saw them, and the highlight of my visit to MOMA was seeing some of them in person. It seems almost magical the way a unity emerges from apparent chaos. Check out this video of him painting and this one of him discussing his process. He also has one of the great quotes about art. When asked by a reporter how he knew when he was done with one of his paintings, he replied, “How do you know when you’re done making love?” Happy Birthday, Jackson Pollock! Your work has enriched my life.