Tuesday, January 25, 2011

25th January Jackson Pollock (1912 - 1956)


On 28th January it will be American artist, Jackson Pollock's birthday. He was a painter of large abstract paintings, many of which he made by dripping paint onto canvas from above. The picture book biography Action Jackson written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan and illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker covers the two month period in the artist's life while he is creating his famous painting 'Lavender Mist'. Although it focusses solely on this painting, the text includes information about his childhood influences, his studio and his techniques. The methods he uses to paint are also clearly outlined by Pollock himself in the filmclip here. Pollock's most well-known, and some say best painting, 'Blue Poles: Number 11' is in the National Art Gallery of Australia in Canberra. Many of my students have seen it, so reading this book makes for animated discussions.

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