7 Things: Intrigues #7 – Jackson Pollock
I know that I have taken verbal dumps on Jackson Pollock several times, so I should make it known up front that this is not that kind of post. You see, I know that some people do find Pollock’s work beautiful and intentionally chaotic. And maybe it is. It’s quite possibly my own limitations that make it difficult for me to see art in something that anyone can create by accident by forgetting to put down a drop cloth. The point is, I’m not saying that Jackson Pollock’s art is not art, but, for the sake of this discussion, let’s assume that it’s not.
What intrigues me about Jackson Pollock the most is this potential question –
Was he in on the joke?
If, in fact, his art wasn’t art, was he aware that it wasn’t art? I mean, did he know that he was building a reputation by slinging some paint onto a canvas?
Or, if his art wasn’t art, did he think that it was art? Did he look at it and think, “That’s my masterpiece”?
Maybe he saw something that wasn’t actually there.
So, I guess the true intrigue is –
What possessed Jackson Pollock to paint without actually painting anything?