The Case for Jackson Pollock | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- You’ve heard of Jackson Pollock and know of his infamous “drip paintings,” but what is it that you’re supposed to do when you look at his work today? Why did it cause shockwaves in 1947, and what does it mean now? We explore the life, evolution, and legacy of Jackson Pollock.
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We apologize for the following errors and omissions:
Jackson Pollock was sympathetic to leftist causes but never an official member of the Communist Party. He did participate in the creation of large scale public works for gatherings of the American Communist Party while part of the workshop of Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, including a float for the 1936 May Day parade. Find out more here: www.artsy.net/....
The photograph shown at 6:57 is inexplicably and inexcusably upside down.
The photographs of the interior and exterior of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center are by photographer John Griffin and appear courtesy of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton, NY.
Learn more about Pollock and Abstract Expressionism:
Smarthistory: smarthistory.o...
MoMA: www.moma.org/l...
• "One: Number 31, 1950"...
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.o...
Getty Conservation Institute: • Exploring & Conserving...
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I like how you discussed the distance between the canvas and the brush as the distance between intentionality and accident. I also like how you acknowledge that there is no easy meaning to derive from the work. Honestly gave me chills, I cannot praise the your curation of Jackson Pollock highly enough!
kanish161 +
You know what gives me chills? That the money spent on these garbage paintings would probably have been enough to feed and clothe every homeless person in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco
@@kevinwasilewski598 yeah or at least buy some actually good art
Acrylic pouring is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 times better.
Can someone explain to me how Jackson Pollock became famous? I mean, I do understand that theres people that love his kind of art, theres nothing wrong with having these kind of taste, some of my families love minimalism simplicity art, but its hard to be famous if you paint simplicity or doodles... it takes extra ordinary talent to be famous, like Da Vinci or the guy that invented electrical lights, bulbs.
Every time I watch one of these videos, I feel like I've learned something, and I'm so grateful. Thank you.
lailedcat our pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it
@@5ledan it's all about marketing trash.
I watched the whole thing and learned nothing.
Thank God someone finally mentions Orozco and Siquieros, from whom he learned dripping!!
I remember when I was very little, maybe four, my dad told be about Pollock and how he flung paint across the canvas. This was one of the first times i'd noticed abstract art, and I loved it! It was so fun to me, and over the years I've kept repeating it over and over. Even today, years later, I still remember the joy and excitement I got from this simple act of some man dripping and throwing paint every time I see those drips and splatters.
like playing in an arty mudhole
I don't think I've ever knowingly seen a painting by Pollock that wasn't one of his drip paintings. Thank you! It's really interesting to see where he / they came from.
I seen them, he shows his insbility.
The so called “drip” pieces began in January 1947, after buying a house in East Hampton- with a barn for a studio, and marrying Lee Krasner.
He began a struggle as a painter in New York City- entering classes with Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League in 1930.
He struggled through many idioms until he had a solid style as a foremost abstract expressionist and having soli shows with Peggy Guggenheim in 1943
When looking at Pollock's work, I used to look for composition, or try to grasp texture as much as I could. Especially the last few minutes of this video gave me a complete new way of looking at it. Imagining the motion that was above the canvas, looking for the interplay between chance and planning, trying to just get carried away by the movements, forms, and shapes,... Thank you incredibly much to everyone who worked on this video!
“A child's contour drawing of the battle of Gettysburg.” That actually sounds like a really profound statement on the nature of war.
A perception with little pre-cognitive impressions.
Fost Vicious ...what’s that supposed to mean?
THE GEEK CLUB he means, a child has little to no pre-conception of war. The innocence of a child perceiving the most gruesome of human nature.
slugonion Ah, I see. Thank you for explaining. I act a lot smarter than I am.
@@slugonionYes, I couldn't have said it any better.
I find Pollock's abstract work so very beautiful. The colors, the shapes, the patterns - there's so much to see. Each one is unique and can never be made again. Each can be viewed in a million different ways, for very long periods of time.
I can photoscan or 3d print his paintings and they'd still be the same garbage.
I am a manic, anxiety ridden, miserable person. But his art makes me calm and soothes me. Others say his painting are chaotic, I feel that they are peaceful.
"Art should calm the distress and unsettle the calm"
This was a quote from the "defenition of art" video i belive
I was thinking the exact same thing right before I read your comment! Very calming and pleasing to the eye. You can stand far, stand near, or right up close and there is something different to see. The mind feels free to perceive what it perceives and not to be expected to see something in particular. Freedom from expectations.
I firmly believe that many of Pollock's admirers don't appreciate his work quite as much as they appreciate the IDEA of appreciating it.
the thought of that idea makes me appreciate his work
The emperor isn’t wearing any clothes ;)
I get it
why? do you talk to alot of people that have said they like pollock?
after reading coursework on him for about a month now and watching this video I've gone from mildly disliking him to moderately enjoying him now that i understand it. I think his earlier stuff is wonderful actually, the more tribal/mythological ones that is to say.
I would like to see a case for Bob Ross! It would flip the narrative of this series being artists well respected in the art world but maybe misunderstood by the public. Ross was not a high concept artist who was a figure in museums or galleries, but he made art and painting techniques accessable to people, and he was very encouraging of people trying art. Maybe I've just been watching too much Joy of Painting 😄
Bob Ross is the man! I feel like It wasn't really about his art but more his personality and demeanor. It was like Zen-painting. When you watch him, it's like he's talking right to you. He's comforting, and reassuring.
Check out Bob's teacher, Bill Alexander.
Happy little trees
@@jakewhoskate
Yes, everyone has friends, so as the little tree here.
Give it a friend or two. Like so...
ill take bob ross over pollock any day! pollock was sort of a douche in my opinion.
I remember going to a Pollock retrospective a few years ago where I was struck by how, 50s a lot of the paintings looked. A lot of the colors reminded me of that mid-century aesthetic
Interesting! Likely because many of the paints he used were commercially available alkyds in the colors readily available at the time.
We may think of 'modern' being close in meaning to 'timeless' or 'outside time'. Because the modern artist has access to all previous times and all styles. Most art students can identify clear periods, for previous centuries. Pollocks work, techniques and materials are very identifiable to his time, too. A decade? His art shouts, '50's as much as Eisenhower for President, the Honeymooners, and Eddie Cochran. If I understand your comment, I agree wholeheartedly.
Honestly the best youtube channel ever created... THANK YOU!!
Lol that’s quite the exaggeration there
This is the first time I've really looked at Pollock's art and definitely my first time learning about his approach to art. Now that I know more, I can honestly say I'm fascinated and inspired by his paintings. I enjoy abstract art in general, but the complexity of his art is stunning. I know I could look for hours and still be surprised. Thank you for making this video, I learned a lot!
Hi, how are you doing today?
A good observation I once heard:
Pollock's paintings were created on the floor but hung on a wall. The point being that if the paint had been dripped while the canvas was on the wall it would have just dripped...and run. The fact that the paint is suspended gives the work a kind of energy.
It does! I saw his painting IRL and it's more interesting than what is captured on photographs
Really grasping at straws.
@@MrGold-lo6vc not really... in my opinion all art has appeal. as long as the person is doing it with vigor, motivation, and meaning.
he understood the gravity of the situation
@Benno Hulsing this is shocking. how did he discover that? Wow
Your script sounds much like a poem, or a slow song, and I didn't miss a single word. Hats to you, creators.
I love the idea that his art is music I think that is such a great way to describe it.
no wonder Ornette Coleman chose one of his paintings as the album cover for Free Jazz
“Music is what emotions look like”.
I think the same can be said about him. Iv been an alcoholic and I can see.
that is the only thing that is accessable in his art though lol
Thats why I really like Kandinsky. I don't have synesthesia but I can imagine what it's like with some of his paintings. For some reason I just don't get Pollock.
Fe Simco me either he and Warhol kinda confuse me as to why they are so revered
Agh, so so good! I so appreciate the depth of insight and research!
Even graduating with a fine arts degree recently, everyone references Pollock as sort of a joke, or at best common knowledge... we only briefly skirted his work in art history.
Just really cool to learn so much more (as there always is)! These videos are the bomb, I hope you keep makin' em!! :D
@@nine-vi7rw why would i do that?
Person named after a dumb fictional character?
Jackson Pollock’s art is something I loved immediately. I told my homeboy, it’s not about finding meaning it, just appreciate it. I don’t see his work as random drips and splats of paint, I see it as something intentional and intuitive.
I may not agree with his art, but I love the way you've shown his growth, development and the increase in intensity of the transformation of his art. Thank you!
Hi, beautiful how are you doing today?
One of the highlights of my museum-going experience was the Pollock retrospective at MoMA in 1999. Amazing paintings that made a huge impact from far away or close-up.
Thank you for Art Assignment. It’s wonderful!
Everyone always seems to forget Pollock's wife, Lee Krasner. He would have been nothing without her influence. She was the one responsible for introducing him to collectors and galleries and basically taught him what contemporary art was all about.
We've not forgotten her! In fact, The Case for Krasner is also on our to-do list, but I felt it made more sense to present a take on Pollock first. We probably should have made mention of her influence and connections in this context, however, and I appreciate your bringing it up here.
Awesome! Thanks for recognizing her!
I agree completely and wish Lee krasners work would get more respect. Sfmoma has a lot of great krasners, lover her work.
Feminist
"forget Pollock's wife",,,,,,,,,,,,really !
Brilliant! I love how you make these videos. The message is articulate and simple to follow, but I'll have to watch at least half a dozen times to digest all the visual references and the depth of the discussion. Truly something for all levels of knowledge here.
Thank you for this. I never really "got" Pollack's work, until I stood in front of one of his paintings in person at the High in Atlanta. It was almost overwhelming - it fills your entire field of vision, and you can get lost just standing there.
Exactly. I've likened viewing Pollock's works to my experience seeing the Grand Canyon. It's one thing to see photos. But being there in front of them, in person, they take on a whole different power and meaning. They're visceral, and not something that can be explained or translated through a photo.
I absolutely love every video in this series. The oration is consistently intellectual and informative in a tightrope walk, upon which leaning too much to one or the other will certainly fell the very post itself. Two thumbs up because I haven't grown a third, but you've got dibbs if it occurs. Cheers!
Years of looking at this stuff, taking classes, watching videos like these, and I still have no freaking idea what the heck all the world's artists are so high on.
You're thinking too much
It's must be the paint fumes
I was in New York about a year ago and went to MOMA. I sat and stared at a Pollock painting so long I hadn't realised about 15 minutes had passed. I like what is said about "passive viewing" because I wasn't looking for anything in the work in particular, but all sorts of shapes and moods leaped out at me -- it is like music made corporeal.
These "case for" videos are my favourite!
Sometimes when i am reading i stear one page and only 15 minutes after i realised i get nothing. THATS YOUR STORY
@@sosomatiashvili5096: No, he got something. You spaced out. Go watch tv. Reading is not for you.
@@thonyth1188 thanks for advice, im sure you are talking from experience.
One can see images in the flames of a log fire too. I’d prefer the added warmth of a log fire.
Lmao, his work is really not as deep as people make it out of be.
'free form but not random' - 'energy made visible' - yes
Bullcrap, that's just fancy talking and compelx articulated adjectives to give reasoning to the madness and justify how he became a star in the most unfair of ways by basically doing CERO effort and making a quick buck. This is not "rebellious" in any sense, you can rebel in art and still display proper execution, beauty and don't allow your mere desire to be provocative or controversial to be the engine that destroys your talent. He never developed true talent, he was just fed this idea and applauded by the fact that his most basic of works are acceptable and even "ingenious". I also blame the art academies, the museums and galleries of the time for making this bullshit into a reality. He certainly has been the reason so many talented artists have been underrated, underpayed, unrecognized and even ignored alltogether.
@@nicolassalazar457 Great thing about art is we can disagrer
@@nicolassalazar457 You could not be more wrong.
I love the way you shared story about great Pollock, appreciate it very much! You got the point and the language you use is so lyrical just like the paintings are. Thank you!
Lyrical?! 🤣 I could literally take a fat shit and smear it across the canvas and it would be more lyrical than this absolute brain-rot shit you're calling lyrical
I love your videos, Sarah ~ thank you, I learn so much from them!
I love this channel. It's taught me so much about art and I always feel smarter afterwards!
I sometimes find it difficult to understand modern art, but somehow Pollock’s work caught my attention. Thanks to this video I understand his work more :) I love this series so much.
I honestly come here to hear you talk and whenever i am having a dull day.☺
Great insight to the history of the infamous artist🎨 Thank you for creating this time capsule for all generations
This is a really great video! Thank you so much for producing these!
I adore works by Jackson Pollock so much! Thank you for this phenomenal video
A very well done video on Jackson Pollock. I do feel like this makes the case for him very well. This video has helped me appreciate him much more, despite me personally never liking his work. Great vid!
As complex as our human psyche....his paintings still fit in our 'busy' lives today...his trust in the movement creating the art....when I watercolor I feel the sense of submitting. ..submitting to the unknown of where the paint will flow & accepting where it stops...it is very therapeutic to not control something....
This inspires me to read his biography....
💖
This really helped me appreciate and enjoy pollocks work, but also helped me find out about Franz Kline whose work really like and may be one of my favourite artists now. cheers
I’ve been waiting for for video!
One thing I find fascinating: almost every painting before Pollock could be copied by another artist. Pollock's couldn't be. Not even by Pollock himself. Each painting is a moment in time which can never be replicated. I think that's an incredible expression.
True!
Not really. No art piece can be replicated whether it be a drop of paint or a full blown painting. If that’s your reasoning on why pollock stood out then it is invalid because no piece of art can truly be replicated as there will always be a difference between the original and the replication.
@@amhaworku873 I think you're taking what was said a bit to literally. You can "copy" Picasso's drawings, for example, but you couldn't "copy" a Pollock in the same way. Mayhaps you are trying to hard to discredit an artist or an artistic movement?
1000 yes
Same could be said with the pouring paint “art”
Thank you Pollock for the infinity beyond words you managed to freeze in time in your paintings.
“What’s the difference between drawing directly on the canvas or slightly above it?”
That’s on point!
I really don't see it, I tried. I'll try again in a couple years.
The art of seeing.....
What are you trying to see?
@@fostxswire1600 The genius behind Jackson Pollock's painting.
@@fesimco4339 How do you see genius?
@@GamingOS Is English your second language?
I believe that the closer art comes to representing the unconscious the further it gets from ownership. How can *you* claim to have created something you weren't even aware of while creating it.
That's why the more expressionist and automated Pollock's work became the less responsible he became of creating it. So saying: "I could have done that", in this case at least, is irrelevant because what we see isn't so much the creation of an individual but of a collective subconscious.
This video has taught me a lot, I've learned to appreciate this artform as a raw form of expression.
I've seen several of his large format works in real life and they really are spectacular. Very moving. So much emotion that does not translate through a photo or a video.
8:59 holy shit, Summertime: Number 9A looks like a series of animation pics side by side. You cant really make out anything specific, but you can clearly define some form of jumping and spinning around and stuff. Damn I get it now, the black lines look like actual humans in motion with a blob for the head and they are throwing their legs and arms around. It looks incredible, I'm actually really blown away
Holy shit you actually did it. I've always hated pollocks work and thought nothing of it. But your video gave me a better instance about him and his life and his art. I still don't really like his work but I can appreciate the significance of it and admire it in a odd way. I think I finailly connected with his artwork when you mentioned how pollocks painting give a music vibe. Like now whenever I look at them I just hear what kind of music his work is projecting. Thank you for making this.
Hi, how are you doing?
This is such an enjoyable series of films. Thanks for them.
your channel brings new perspective to art, keep videos coming
Thanks for the vid. Always great.
it doesn't really matter if you like his work or even understand it. i have occupied many afternoons in nature playing on a canvas with friends. it's so enjoyable and exciting that just the act of doing it is enough. everyone should try it. i even have some idea of making a sort of color therapy workshop. thank you for keeping Pollock and his legacy alive
The emperor is naked. Great video though! At least I now at least understand the reasoning behind his paintings
the emperor may be, but the artist is well dressed.
Going into this is disliked Pollock's work but now I know more about him I actually think his work is quite clever, he saw a way too express so much and that's a talent in itself.
So what did he express in his dripping?
@@lukazebeljan8914 dk honestly
@@lukazebeljan8914 did you watch the video? Haha
@@lukazebeljan8914 he expressed his lack of skills through his paintings lol
To be honest I love the colorful drips of paint. I don’t even care about the explanation or the backstory of the artist. Certain colors coming together with that paint-y texture gives me a lot of joy and I cannot explain it any further than that.
Pollock's splatter style paintings are the main inspiration behind my painting style. I have a very similar style but I like to concentrate more on the color and contrast.
Damn good episode, thank you!!!! 💫
Hey, I’ve just added seeing Pollack’s paintings to my bucket list…
“That tension between planning and accident”. AKA- Life.
Excellent presentation. Thank you.
Thank you, this is great.
always loved Jack...thankyou for the show
I've been waiting for this one. :)
I could stare at his paintings all day. 🤩
Please do a video entitled "People who say things about art but who do not understand it (unless the artwork mimics a photograph)".
Such a fantastic video.. your words are articulate informing and inspiring. Thank you
Wow! Really good job! Thank you.
The last few lines were the reveal. Just like the layers of paint over each other :) Thanks for sharing :)
If you're not a fan of abstract expressionism, You really have to see the big Pollock hits in person. The paint is caked up on bare canvas. There's blotchy shoe prints and residue from a person walking across it, and you can actually track a possessed man with a bucket of paint, stepping back to assess the composition, and resuming his work as if in real time. I don't love all of Pollock's art, but he's got 5-6 bangers housed in Manhattan museums that I'm deeply impressed with.
Writing off a whole genre of painting is like being a Hip Hop fan and saying "I really don't like hard rock because Aerosmith sucks" and assuming that Aerosmith represents every rock band ever. I might present you with the Judgement Night soundtrack and your mind might expand.
Wow thank you for this video!
A great artist! I don't understand the paintings bit I like them. A surrealist artist! A revolutionary man.
There is a need for a new word in english that should represent this feeling of - "trying to control your laughter when an art critic describes the depth and beauty of squiggly lines with passion."
Jackson was the artist who made me fall in love with modern art.
What a tragedy
A fantastic video!
Great video of Jackson pollock it helped me in my art studies
Thank you for your video.
Maybe Jackson's paintings gives us hope that we could all pull off an expressive masterpiece🤔💞
Every time I see Pollock or Rothko in a museum I cannot help myself stopping for a long time. I can pass many rooms in a few minutes, but then spend ten times more just on one painting. There is such power in their work for me, I still don't have any clue why. Thanks for making this, hopefully it can help some people to get more open towards artists like Pollock.
Pollock knew when it was finished
Art surpasses the meaning of art -Every artist since 1900
This is really well written. Kudos.
Hi, how are you doing today and how was your day?
I've been watching these videos the whole day, i absolutely love them
This is great snapshot of Pollock’s life and career.
I feel like the comparison to free jazz is quite perfect. I get it but it’s not my thing. Great video
Great video and thank you for uploading. I think you have forgotten to mention Janet Sobel, especially her 1945 Painting Milky Way. Milky Way 1945 is currently in the MOMA's permanent collection but not currently on display. Regards Conrad Bo , member of the Superblur Art Movement
Another excellent job done!!! Bravo!!! It's not easy and this is Spot On!!! Not one comment is off. Usually this stuff is filled with BS. Not here.
I like the idea of numbering your works like classical music. Some compositions can be very long and you have to experience it for yourself without a title with meaning to go off of.
Before watching this video, I used to think that Pollock's work was utter and complete garbage. After watching this video, well, I still do!
I think Jackson Pollock's work is intriguing and invites a lot of reflection, so I absolutely love it. I have a question though: I am curious if he was the first to paint in this kind of style. Now, when I go to art museums, I often see Pollock-esque work, which I assume came after him. I know each artist has her or his own mark, but it's a similar style. And I'm curious if he originated that style. Were there other artists who painted similarly to this before him but DIDN'T get critically acclaimed? (I can imagine history perhaps overlooking women artists or artists of color, for example) Thanks for this stellar (as always) video!
Hi, how are you doing today and how was your day?
It’s nice to know that you don’t need an ounce of talent to be an artist now. All you need to do if fling some paint on a 3 dollar Michaels canvas and that’s that
Not that it's relevant to the art, but Pollock's work often tops Wikipedia's the list of most expensive paintings ever sold.
I think one reason art buyers like Pollock so much is that his paintings are almost impossible to reproduce. While Cézanne could make and sell 5 copies of "The Card Players", Pollock could only make 1 "Number 17A".
Thank you for thisssss
Love the work of Jackson Pollock.
I'm very critical of moder art and I honestly find most of them nonsense but I still remember looking at a Pollock for the first time, and I remember the sensation it created in me. It's profound to say the least!
At some point, the artist asks himself a question. How far is his workshop habit with creation? Will his learned and established painting habits and tricks allow him to create new, fresh things?
The state of freedom from habits is possible only when we allow us to reject all limitations. Compmaturism, a new direction in art
transforms the emotions of the creator into works. There is no room for speculation, no corrections. No planning, only vivid emotions. That's why I love Compmaturism
This case for Pollock is truly something great, especially for those who may not be as well versed in art history to understand why this is important; however, I feel like if a case is going to made for Pollock, Janet Sobel needs to be recognized in his creative process leading to the popular drip paintings
please do one about john cage, that be so interesting!!!
♥️♥️♥️
I see Pollock's art as paintings about paint & different ways you can drip or splatter paint on a canvas. The paint itself is the subject.
I never knew that in his works that involved dripping he would create a foundation underneath and then proceed to create his art over top. Also, I found it very interesting that he would put different objects in some of his works such as leaves or nails.