Artist to Know - Jackson Pollock

Today's artist is Jackson Pollock

Basic facts:

Born as: "Paul Jackson Pollock"
Pollock was born on: January 28, 1912
Born at: Cody, Wyoming, United States of America
Pollock Died in a car accident: August 11, 1956

6 Facts you may not know about Jackson Pollock

1. He lived from 1912 to 1956 - he was only 44 when he died in a car accident.
2. The style for which he is known is called "drip" or "drip and splash", and also "action painting." 3. He sometimes mixed broken glass with his paint.
4. His painting, "No. 5, 1948" sold at an auction in 2006 for $140 million, making it the most expensive painting ever.
5. He chopped off the end of a finger at the age of four, playing with a hatchet.
6. He once knocked down a wall to make a room large enough for a 20-foot canvas.
From biglearning.com

More interesting facts:

♦In 1949, Pollock decided to number his paintings, including the year they were created, instead of using descriptive titles. This began with his 1949 solo exhibition at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

♦Pollock's paintings differed from before he moved to the Hamptons and right after the move. Before moving to The Springs in East Hampton with his wife, his imagery was congested, the colors were somber, and the overall mood of his paintings was anxious and conflicted.

♦ After the move to the country, the colors were brighter, his compositions were more open, and the imagery reflected a new responsiveness to nature.

♦The most important element in Pollock's paintings is that of lines. When he first started using the method of pouring and dripping paint onto canvas, it resulted in huge areas covered with complex linear patterns that created image and form.

Pollock saw painting as a spontaneous activity, believing that the canvas should express directly the artist's emotions. The picture was not painted- it happened. To quote Pollock, "The painting has a life of it's own. I only let it come through."

Want to create your own Jackson Pollock go to http://jacksonpollock.org/ and give it a try.

There the several websites with information on Jackson Pollock, just put his name in your search engine and check him out.