Jackson Pollock
By: Rachel Nelson
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/5/0/14505602/4565743.jpg?293)
Biography:
Jackson Pollock was born on January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. He was the youngest of five children where his father was a farmer and his mother was artistic like him. Him and his family moved to Arizona and California where his dad became an alcoholic and his artistic older brother played the role of his father since his actual father abandoned the family. Once high school came along, he enrolled in the Manual Arts High School where he was soon expelled for starting fights. At age 18, Pollock moved to New York with his older brother, Charles, where he started studying with Charles's art teacher, Thomas Hart Benton. However, living in New York wasn't permanent because once his father died, Pollock became depressed and started drinking and fighting so his brother kicked him out.
The Depression and his Artistic Career:
Once the Great Depression hit, Pollock was given $24.86 a week to do 20 hours worth of art projects for an upcoming event called Public Works of Art Project to help out the economy. With having alcohol problems, he started seeing a psychiatric help which geared his interest in symbolism and Native American art. Pollock became romantically involved with Lee Krasner, a painter, and friends with Peggy Guggenheim who introduce Jackson and his work to Pete Norman who instantly signed him onto a contract. This began his artistic career.
The "Drip Period":
Pollock's most famous paintings are known from the "Drip Period". These paintings include Full Fathom Five (1947), Number 1 (1948), and Autumn Rhythm (1950). He was displayed in an magazine, Life, which started growing his fame overnight. In 1949, the Betty Parson's Gallery where his show was being held sold out. This made him known as the best-paid painter in America. The fame was not good for Pollock. He started to realize his artistic abilities and other artists, friends, and his viewers started to appreciate him and his work much less. For instance, in 1950, his show at the Parsons Gallery did not sell despise his famous paintings such as Number 4 on display. This led him back to his alcohol problem. This was about the same time he started using number and dates to title his paintings. This is the period where the color started disappearing and black and white seemed to be in more of his paintings.
Jackson Pollock was born on January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. He was the youngest of five children where his father was a farmer and his mother was artistic like him. Him and his family moved to Arizona and California where his dad became an alcoholic and his artistic older brother played the role of his father since his actual father abandoned the family. Once high school came along, he enrolled in the Manual Arts High School where he was soon expelled for starting fights. At age 18, Pollock moved to New York with his older brother, Charles, where he started studying with Charles's art teacher, Thomas Hart Benton. However, living in New York wasn't permanent because once his father died, Pollock became depressed and started drinking and fighting so his brother kicked him out.
The Depression and his Artistic Career:
Once the Great Depression hit, Pollock was given $24.86 a week to do 20 hours worth of art projects for an upcoming event called Public Works of Art Project to help out the economy. With having alcohol problems, he started seeing a psychiatric help which geared his interest in symbolism and Native American art. Pollock became romantically involved with Lee Krasner, a painter, and friends with Peggy Guggenheim who introduce Jackson and his work to Pete Norman who instantly signed him onto a contract. This began his artistic career.
The "Drip Period":
Pollock's most famous paintings are known from the "Drip Period". These paintings include Full Fathom Five (1947), Number 1 (1948), and Autumn Rhythm (1950). He was displayed in an magazine, Life, which started growing his fame overnight. In 1949, the Betty Parson's Gallery where his show was being held sold out. This made him known as the best-paid painter in America. The fame was not good for Pollock. He started to realize his artistic abilities and other artists, friends, and his viewers started to appreciate him and his work much less. For instance, in 1950, his show at the Parsons Gallery did not sell despise his famous paintings such as Number 4 on display. This led him back to his alcohol problem. This was about the same time he started using number and dates to title his paintings. This is the period where the color started disappearing and black and white seemed to be in more of his paintings.
Death:
On August 11, 1956, Jackson Pollock died in a car accident. He had been drinking late at night and crashed his car into a tree only a mile from his house. His girlfriend was thrown from the car, but survived the accident. However another passenger was killed along with Pollock being thrown 50 feet from the vehicle into a birch tree where he immediately died.
On August 11, 1956, Jackson Pollock died in a car accident. He had been drinking late at night and crashed his car into a tree only a mile from his house. His girlfriend was thrown from the car, but survived the accident. However another passenger was killed along with Pollock being thrown 50 feet from the vehicle into a birch tree where he immediately died.