Full Description
Jackson Pollock (1912-56) was the commanding figure of the American Abstract Expressionism. By the mid 1940s, he was painting in a completely abstract manner, and the "drip and splash" style for which he is best known emerged with some abruptness in 1947. This manner of Action painting had in common with Surrealist theories of automatism that it was supposed by artists and critics alike to result in a direct expression or revelation of the unconscious moods of the artist. Pollock was strongly supported by advanced critics, but was also subject to much abuse and sarcasm: in 1956, Time magazine called him "Jack the Dripper". By the 1960s, however, he was generally recognized as the most important figure in the most important movement of this century in American painting. His unhappy personal life and his premature death in a car crash contributed to his legendary status. This catalogue book was first published on the occasion of a noted exhibition at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Duseldorf, Germany. It presents important paintings as well as graphic works from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and from several European collections, such as the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, or the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart.
