Jackson Pollock | AB EX NY

Summary

The script delves into the groundbreaking work of Jackson Pollock, whose abstract expressionism revolutionized painting by transcending traditional techniques. Pollock's method involved a dynamic, physical interaction with the canvas, creating a visual representation of his internal energy and psyche. His spontaneous, performance-like approach to art-making, devoid of preliminary sketches or plans, resulted in paintings that appear to move, engaging viewers with their kinetic energy and embedded materials, embodying the essence of Abstract Expressionism.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Jackson Pollock's paintings are audacious and continue to astound viewers even sixty years later due to their groundbreaking nature.
• 🎨 Pollock's approach to painting was extreme and even bewildering to himself, as he questioned whether his work was a painting at all.
• 🏞️ Pollock's work represents a new age in art, following a period where civilization had nearly self-destructed, reflecting a collective sense of renewal.
• 🌐 The movement to transplant the center of the Avant Garde from Paris to New York required artists to be bold and innovative in their painting techniques.
• 🛠️ Each artist, including Pollock, invented new tactics for painting, moving away from traditional brush strokes to more expressive methods.
• 💧 Pollock's technique involved using the wooden tip of the brush to fling, drip, spread, or ooze paint across the canvas in various dynamic ways.
• 🌳 A famous anecdote illustrates Pollock's connection with nature, suggesting that he saw himself as an embodiment of it, which is a core idea of Abstract Expressionism.
• 🧘 The focus of Abstract Expressionism was on the artists themselves, their energy, psyche, values, and physical presence, which is evident in their work.
• 🕺 When viewing a Pollock painting, one can't help but imagine the physical movement involved in its creation, as if the painting itself is in motion.
• 👀 The viewer's eye and possibly their body move as they take in the full expanse of a Pollock painting, engaging with its layers and textures.
• 🎨 Pollock's paintings feature a variety of paint types and even embedded objects, creating a rich, textured, and engulfing visual experience.
• 📐 Unlike traditional methods, Pollock did not start with a sketch or preconceived plan, making his paintings akin to spontaneous 'performance art'.

Q & A

What impact does Jackson Pollock's painting style have on the audience according to the script?

Jackson Pollock's painting style has the power to astound the audience even sixty years later, with its audacity and the sense of breaking into uncharted artistic territory.

How did Jackson Pollock feel about his own work, as described in the script?

The script suggests that Jackson Pollock himself felt somewhat bewildered by his own work, to the point of asking his wife if what he had made was a painting, indicating uncertainty about his creation.

What was the significance of the shift of the Avant Garde center from Paris to New York, as mentioned in the script?

The shift signified the boldness of the artists who were trying to establish New York as the new hub of innovative art, making their paintings a clear evidence of this change.

How did Jackson Pollock's painting technique differ from traditional methods?

Jackson Pollock departed from using a brush for traditional brush strokes and instead used the wooden tip of the brush to fling, drip, spread, or ooze paint across the canvas in various motions.

What anecdote is shared in the script about Jackson Pollock's view on nature and his art?

The script shares an anecdote where Jackson Pollock, when asked by artist Hans Hoffman if he liked to paint nature, supposedly replied 'I am nature,' reflecting the essence of Abstract Expressionism.

What aspect of human beings was of primary interest to the Abstract Expressionist artists, according to the script?

The Abstract Expressionist artists were primarily interested in the energy, psyche, values, principles, and physical presence of human beings, as reflected in their art.

How does the viewer's experience change when observing a Jackson Pollock painting, as described in the script?

The viewer's experience is dynamic, as the script suggests that one cannot help but imagine their own body moving in response to the energy of the painting, and the painting seems almost alive due to the viewer's moving perspective.

What materials did Jackson Pollock incorporate into his paintings, as mentioned in the script?

In addition to paint, Jackson Pollock embedded various materials such as keys, coins, or bits of trash into his paintings, adding to the texture and depth of the artwork.

How did Jackson Pollock's approach to creating a painting differ from traditional pre-planned methods?

Jackson Pollock did not start with a sketch or a precalculated plan; instead, his approach was spontaneous, with the artist acting as a performer engaged in a set of actions whose results were as surprising to him as to the viewers.

What does the script suggest about the viewer's interaction with a Jackson Pollock painting?

The script suggests that the viewer's interaction with a Pollock painting is an active process, involving moving around the room to take in the full picture and engaging with the layers and textures of the painting.

How does the script describe the variety of paint used in Jackson Pollock's paintings?

The script describes the variety of paint used in Pollock's paintings as including shiny, matte, and even metallic types, contributing to the diverse visual effects of the artwork.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Jackson Pollock's Revolutionary Art

This paragraph discusses the enduring impact of Jackson Pollock's innovative painting techniques, which challenged traditional art forms. It highlights his audacity in breaking from the norm, creating art that was bewildering even to himself. The narrative includes a personal anecdote where Pollock questioned whether his work was a painting, reflecting the uncertainty of his pioneering approach. The paragraph also touches on the broader context of the time, suggesting that the artists were influenced by the post-World War II era, which was characterized by a desire for new beginnings and a shift of the avant-garde from Paris to New York. The focus on individual expression and the energy and psyche of the artist is emphasized, particularly in relation to Pollock's work, which was created without a preconceived plan and involved a spontaneous, performative process.

Keywords

💡Audacity

Audacity refers to the quality of being bold and daring, often in a way that is surprising or shocking. In the context of the video, it describes the courage of Jackson Pollock to break away from traditional painting methods, creating art that astounded viewers and challenged the status quo. The script mentions the audacity of Pollock's paintings sixty years later still having the power to astound us.

💡Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism is an art movement characterized by the use of abstract or non-representational imagery and the expression of the artist's emotions through spontaneous and often dramatic techniques. The video discusses how artists like Jackson Pollock were interested in this movement, focusing on the energy and psyche of the human being, rather than depicting nature or scenes.

💡Territory

In the script, 'territory' is used metaphorically to represent new areas or approaches in art that had not been explored before. Jackson Pollock's work ventured into such uncharted territory, pushing the boundaries of what was considered traditional painting and challenging the norms of the art world at the time.

💡Ecstatic

Ecstatic refers to a state of intense excitement or joy. The term is used in the script to describe the fervor and passion with which Pollock applied paint to his canvas, creating a sense of movement and energy that seems to leap off the canvas and engage the viewer.

💡Dramatic

Dramatic, in the context of the video, describes the strong visual impact and emotional intensity of Pollock's paintings. The script uses this term to convey the boldness and the striking nature of the lines and forms in his work, which contribute to the overall powerful effect of the paintings.

💡Spontaneous

Spontaneous actions are those that are done without prior planning or intention. The video explains that Pollock's painting process was spontaneous, meaning he did not follow a preconceived plan but instead allowed the act of painting itself to guide the creation of his art.

💡Performance Art

Performance art is a form of art in which the artist's actions become the central focus, often involving a live element or a one-time event. The script suggests that Pollock's method of painting, which was not based on a pre-planned design but rather on a series of spontaneous actions, can be seen as a precursor to performance art.

💡Energy

Energy, in the context of the video, refers to the dynamic and lively force that is conveyed through Pollock's paintings. The script describes how the paintings give the impression of movement and life, as if the canvas itself is not static but filled with kinetic energy.

💡Psyche

Psyche refers to the human mind or soul. The video discusses how Abstract Expressionist artists, including Pollock, were interested in exploring the inner workings of the human psyche through their art, expressing the emotional and mental states of the artist.

💡Avant Garde

Avant Garde refers to people or works that are experimental and innovative, particularly in the arts. The script mentions the boldness of artists who moved the center of the Avant Garde from Paris to New York, indicating a shift in the focus of cutting-edge art and the development of new artistic approaches.

💡Tactic

In the context of the video, a 'tactic' refers to a method or strategy used by an artist to create their work. Each artist mentioned in the script invented their own unique tactic for painting, with Pollock being highlighted for his departure from traditional brushwork to a more expressive and physical interaction with the canvas.

Highlights

Sixty years later, Jackson Pollock's paintings still astound us with their audacity.

Pollock broke into uncharted artistic territory with his extreme approach to painting.

Pollock's work was so revolutionary that even he questioned if his creations were paintings.

The post-World War II era inspired artists to explore new artistic expressions.

New York became the center of the Avant Garde, challenging traditional art practices.

Each artist, including Pollock, invented new tactics for painting.

Pollock's technique involved flinging, dripping, and spreading paint across the canvas.

Pollock's famous reply 'I am nature' encapsulates the essence of Abstract Expressionism.

Abstract Expressionism focused on the energy, psyche, and values of the human being.

Pollock's paintings evoke the physical presence and movement of the artist.

Viewers of Pollock's work can't help but imagine their own body moving with the painting.

Pollock's paintings are dynamic, with the viewer's eye and body engaging in the artwork.

Pollock's paintings feature a variety of paint textures and even embedded objects.

In 'Full Fathom Five', Pollock incorporated non-traditional materials into his work.

Pollock's creative process was spontaneous and without a preconceived plan.

Pollock's paintings are considered precursors to performance art.

Pollock's art was a performance in itself, with the artist engaging in spontaneous actions.

Transcripts

Sixty years later, the audacity of a painting like this,

by Jackson Pollock, still has the power,

I think, to astound us.

You have this sense of an artist breaking out

into territory that had not been tried before.

What Pollock was doing was so extreme,

in terms of the painting tradition, that I think

even he himself felt somewhat bewildered by it.

And one of my favorite Pollock stories is this:

When he was at his studio in the Springs in Long Island,

and asked his wife, Lee Krasner, to come look at

what he had done, he asked her, "Is this a painting?"

Not, "Is this a good painting?"

Or, "Is this a great painting?"

He wasn't even sure that what he had made,

whatever it was, was a painting.

The feeling of being at a dawn of a new age,

the dawn of an age that followed one in which,

basically, civilization had almost destroyed itself,

was uppermost -- either consciously or unconsciously --

for all of these artists.

The boldness of what these artists were trying to do,

by transplanting the center of the Avant Garde

from Paris to New York, needed to be evident

in how they made their paintings.

Each of them invented, essentially,

a new tactic for how to make a painting.

And nobody more so than Jackson Pollock,

who departed from the idea of using a brush a

nd making brush strokes to paint a scene --

and instead, with the wooden tip of the brush,

either fling or drip or spread or ooze the painting

across the canvas in these ecstatic,

dramatic, slow, fast, wavy straight --

(There's no end of the adjectives you could use.)

-- lines that fill it from corner to corner,

from top to bottom, left to right.

Another famous anecdote about Jackson Pollock

concerns the time that the artist Hans Hoffman

asked him if he liked to paint nature.

And, supposedly, Pollack's reply to him was,

"I am nature."

And whereas that story may or may not be true,

and certainly plays on Pollock's reputation

as having been very gruff,

and not a man of many words at all,

it does convey something essentially true

about Abstract Expressionism.

That the topic that most interested these artists

was themselves, and in more general terms,

the human being.

So the interest was the energy of a person,

the psyche of a person,

the values or the principles of a person,

the physical presence of a person.

When you look at a painting by Jackson Pollock,

there's no way that you can think of it

just being made by fingers and hands.

Indeed, it's hard for you not to imagine

your own body moving, leaping, dancing, straddling,

juggling around the canvas on the floor.

This energy is what sets Pollack apart

from almost any other artist.

It's almost hard to believe that the painting

is not moving while you're looking at it.

And, of course, the reason is that it's your eye --

your eye is moving --

and maybe your body is even moving too,

as you go from side to side of the room

to take in the full expanse of the picture.

And as you try to dig in to the picture,

and figure out where one line starts and stops,

or which layer is on top of another,

or where the blurry areas of paint get interrupted,

or interrupt the lines, you also realize

that there are all sorts of different kinds of paint --

some shiny, some matte, some even metallic.

And in a painting such as Full Fathom Five,

you realize it's not just paint,

but it's things that are embedded in it,

whether it's keys or coins or bits of trash.

This is the world he's brought into

the swirl of that surface.

And the paint has the power to engulf

the other materials in the atmosphere that it's creating.

For all of these works,

Pollack did not start out with a sketch.

He did not start out with some kind of

precalculated plan of where the painting would go.

And in that way, we think about Pollock paintings

very much as precedents to a lot of art

which has since then been called 'performance art' --

because as he was making a painting,

the artist was, in a sense, a performer.

He was not somebody fulfilling a preconceived plan.

He was somebody engaged in a spontaneous

set of actions whose results would be

as much a surprise to him as to anybody else.