Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31, 1950

The video explores Jackson Pollock’s iconic painting One: Number 31, 1950, highlighting its artistic techniques, conceptual underpinnings, and creative process.

Artistic Techniques and Concepts:

• Numbering Instead of Naming: Pollock often numbered his paintings rather than giving them descriptive titles to keep their meanings open-ended, similar to how composers title musical pieces (e.g., Chopin’s Nocturnes). This approach avoids limiting interpretation.
• Drip Painting Method: Pollock painted on a large, raw, unstretched cotton duck canvas laid flat on the floor, allowing him to move around it and apply paint from all directions.
• Controlled Improvisation: Although his drip paintings appear spontaneous and improvisational (like a jazz musician riffing), Pollock exercised precise control over the paint, manipulating thickness, direction, and density intentionally.
• Spatial Composition and Orientation:
  • The paint density is concentrated toward the center, with a framing effect around the edges.
  • A loose horizontal line about one-third up the canvas anchors the composition and provides a “center of gravity” that prevents the image from feeling unstable.
  • The painting has a clear “top” and “bottom,” which is evident when flipped; the image loses coherence if inverted.
• Gesture and Movement:
  • The painting represents the physical act of painting itself—gesture as choreography.
  • Variations in paint thickness and pooling reveal Pollock’s bodily movements: slower arm motions create thicker lines, faster motions create thinner lines.
  • The gesture encompasses the entire body rather than just the hand or brush.
• Relationship to Nature and Myth:
  • Pollock’s work is often mythologized as natural and instinctive, but he was highly conscious and sophisticated in his visual decisions.
  • A famous quote attributed to Pollock is “I am nature,” reflecting his deep connection to natural forces and the organic quality of his work.

Creative Process and Presentation:

• Pollock painted horizontally on the floor, but the paintings were intended to be displayed vertically.
• The experience of viewing the painting horizontally (as Pollock created it) differs significantly from viewing it vertically in a museum.
• There was at least one occasion when a Pollock painting was hung horizontally on a ceiling, inviting viewers to look across it differently.
• Critical perspectives on Pollock vary:
  • Clement Greenberg emphasized the finished painting as a work of art once displayed vertically.
  • Harold Rosenberg saw the painting as a “fossil” of the performative act of creation, highlighting the ritualistic and performative nature of Pollock’s method.

Key Takeaways:

• Pollock’s paintings are not representational but embody the act of painting itself.
• The work balances improvisation with deliberate control.
• The physicality and choreography of Pollock’s movements are encoded in the paint’s flow and density.
• The painting’s structure and orientation are intentional, guiding how viewers experience it.
• Pollock’s art challenges traditional notions of gesture, control, and the relationship between artist and nature.

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Creators and Contributors Featured:

• Jackson Pollock (artist)
• Lee Krasner (Pollock’s wife and artist)
• Hans Hofmann (German abstractionist, mentor figure)
• Clement Greenberg (art critic)
• Harold Rosenberg (art critic)
• Tony Smith (exhibition curator associated with Pollock)