Jackson Pollock - Masterpiece Curations

Jackson Pollock was an influential American painter, and the leading force behind the abstract expressionist movement in the art world. Learn more about this amazing artist in this free homeschool artist study!

“Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.” ~Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock was born January 28, 1912, in Cody, Wyoming. He was the youngest of five sons. His mother, Stella May Pollock, would sew dresses and sell them, while his father, LeRoy Pollock, was a farmer and land surveyor. The family had to move around as LeRoy accepted different jobs, and in November of 1912, they moved to San Diego. As Pollock grew up, he continued to live in various parts of California and Arizona.

Pollock was expelled from high school in 1928, and though he later enrolled at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, he was expelled there as well. In 1930, Pollock’s eldest brother, Charles, convinced him to travel with him to New York, and together the two of them were taught by Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League. A few years later, Pollock had the opportunity to tour parts of the Western United States alongside fellow art student, Glen Rounds.

In 1936, a muralist named David Alfaro Siqueiros introduced Pollock to liquid paints and how they could be used. This inspired Pollock to develop the “drip” paint technique, where he would pour paint directly onto a canvas on the floor.

Pollock began to work for the WPA Federal Art Project in 1938. During this time, he struggled with alcoholism, and some historians believe he might have suffered from bipolar disorder. Pollock ended up going through Jungian psychotherapy, and one of his doctors, Dr. Joseph Henderson, encouraged him to cope through his art and drawings. As a result, many of Pollock’s art pieces are expressions of the Jungian archetypes.

In 1942, Pollock met fellow artist Le Krasner, when they were both exhibiting their art at the McMillen Gallery. Krasner was intrigued by Pollock’s art and visited him, and the two eventually got married in 1945. They moved to Springs, New York, where they bought a house with a barn that became Pollock’s art studio. When he and Krasner weren’t working, they loved to spend time cooking, gardening, and entertaining friends. Krasner had a tremendous impact on Pollock’s art and ended up becoming his most trusted art critic.

Pollock’s work became most famous between 1947 and 1950, when he created more works using his drip technique, and in 1949 he was featured in the Life magazine. However, after reaching his highest point of fame, Pollock suddenly stopped painting with the drip technique. Instead, he started painting with darker colors and more illustrated figures.

Unfortunately, his collectors didn’t like his new style, and so Pollock’s new paintings stopped selling. After a while, Pollock returned to using vivid colors and abstract images, but he felt pressured and struggled with his own personal issues. As a result, he sunk deeper into his alcoholism. Pollock painted his last two pieces in 1955, after which he spent some time making sculptures. In 1956, he died in a car crash due to driving under the influence of alcohol. Though his life was tragic, it’s no question that Pollock revolutionized modern art, and his work is still loved and continues to inspire modern artists everywhere.