Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)

Jackson Pollock was born January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming, and lived in California and Arizona before moving East. At 17, he went to New York to study art under the famous Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton. Influenced by other Regionalist muralists like Diego Rivera, Pollock eventually developed a unique Abstract style described as "drip and splash." Pollock put his canvas on the floor or on a wall, and applied the paint directly from the can using all sorts of tools except brushes. Sometimes he added things like sand or broken glass to give the painting more texture.

His style is called "Action Painting," because artists use a variety of non-traditional techniques to apply color so that they can capture a "spontaneous" moment and "All-over Style" because the artist covers the canvas without worrying about a single point of focus. As Pollock described his technique, "The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through." Although his paintings are not realistic, the colors and energy create an emotional response in everyone who looks at them. He was influenced by Native American sand paintings as well as the Surrealist method of trying to paint directly from the unconscious without any preparation like sketching.

During the 1950s, Pollock continued to produce his abstract paintings, which some of the more traditional critics didn't think was really art. Sadly, he died in a car accident on August 11, 1956. It was only after his death that he was considered to be a major influence in modern art.