Art AwarenessKindergarten Lesson 3 –Jackson Pollock 1912-1956

Blue Poles – Jackson Pollock

Early

Life

Born in Wyoming in 1912

He was the youngest of 5 sons and 3 of his brothers also became artists because his mom always encouraged them to work on their art

Grew up on various farms in western United States

Moved to New York City at the age of 18 to study art

He did not have confidence in his drawing techniques early on

The turning point in his career was when he went to a workshop by a famous Mexican mural painter David Alfaro Siqueiros and learned about using liquid paint

Jackson then started using his imagination to create really large and different paintings

Action Paintin

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He developed his “drip” technique using household paint

He used hardened brushes, sticks, knives and basting syringes as paint applicators

The pouring and dripping of paint became known as “action painting”

He painted on the canvas which was placed on the floor or tacked to a wall. This way he could walk around it and work from all four sides

His style is also classified as Abstract Expressionism but he preferred to call it Action Painting because he used so much energy while he painted

Legacy

He is one of the greatest painter’s of the 20th century

He is best known for his huge paintings that he made by splattering, dripping and throwing paint onto his canvases

Pollock wanted people to feel and see the energy he felt while painting

The Key – this can be seen at the Art Institute in Chicago