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May 15, 2005
New Jackson Pollock Paintings Discovered
This is truly an exciting moment in the art world.
It was recently reported in The East Hampton Star that a treasure trove of heretofore unkown paintings by Jackson Pollock were recently discovered.
There were 32 small "drip" paintings discovered in a storage locker at Home Sweet Home Storage in Wainscott, NY. An expert who was consulted said they are the real thing.
As an ardent admirer of Jackson Pollock this is for me a most thrilling development.
As most know, Jackson Pollock was a powerful figure in American art and a major force in the abstract expressionism movement.
His early works were influenced by his battle with depression and Carl Jung's theory of primitive archetypes. These early works were often violent and at first, not well received.
After marrying Lee Krasner and moving to Long Island in 1945 Pollock came into his own and began working on large canvases spread out on the floor. He abandoned figurative painting and began what was termed "action painting", by American critic Harold Rosenberg. This technique involved dripping and splashing paint onto the canvas. These "drip paintings" brought Pollock fame.
In 1951 Time Magazine named Pollock the 'greatest living American artist.' As part of the Time Magazine profile Hans Namuth produced a famed series of photographs showing Pollock at work.
Jackson Pollock was killed and his brilliant career cut short as a result of an automobile accident in 1956. He was only 44 years old.
Apparently, the newly discovered works by Pollock were part of the estate of the late Herbert Matter, a photographer and close friend of Pollock. The paintings were discovered by Alex Matter, Herbert's son, as he sorted through his parents' effects.
As an interesting aside to the masterful work of Jackson Pollock, I refer you to the December 2002 edition of Scientific American. Therein an article entitled 'Order in Pollock's Chaos' provides a fascinating glimpse into the fractal patterns in Pollock's work.
Jackson Pollock was a true American artist and true American original. These newly discovered works will be a welcome addition to his oeuvre. I very much hope for and look forward to their eventual display.
"Every good painter paints what he is."
-Jackson Pollock
More information on Jackson Pollock can be found at the Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation.
Posted by William at May 15, 2005 04:07 PM
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-->Comments
It'll be interesting to see if they were hidden because they were good, or because they weren't. Any good artist who produces the required output to be good still produces 70-90% crap. I've seen whole galleries full of Picasso's where there was one good one! (as in Lausanne). I think if you like Pollock, though, he's probably got a better percentage of good ones.
Posted by Doug at May 17, 2005 03:39 AM
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