1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Art History

Artists in 60 Seconds: Jackson Pollock

By , About.com Guide

© The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; used with permission

Jackson Pollock (American, 1912-1956). Convergence, 1952. Oil on canvas. 93 1/2 x 155 in. (237.5 x 393.7 cm). Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1956. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y.

© The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Movement, Style, School or Type of Art:

Abstract Expressionism

Date and Place of Birth:

January 28, 1912, Cody, Wyoming

Life:

In his short life - during which the only constant factor was his fight against "authority" - Jackson Pollock created a technique called "drip painting", which liberated him from mixing colors or requiring brushes. He'd lay his (enormous) canvases, unstretched, right on the floor of his workshop. This gave him the ability to move all around his work, dripping, pouring and throwing paint as fit into his composition. His work inpsired the term "action painting".

Important Works:

  • Full Fathom Five, 1947
  • Number 1 (Lavender Mist), 1950
  • Blue Poles, 1953

Date and Place of Death:

August 11, 1956, East Hampton, New York

Go to Artist Profiles: Names beginning with "P" or Artist Profiles: Main Index

Explore Art History

About.com Special Features

A Smarter Future

Tips that will help finance your education, excel in the classroom, and advance your career. More >

How to Ace the GRE

Being well prepared is the first step; here are more essential suggestions. More >

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Art History
  4. Artists A to Z
  5. Artists From A to Z
  6. Names Beginning With P
  7. Jackson Pollock Bio - American Abstract Expressionist Painter Jackson Pollock>

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.