Lesson 10:Jackson Pollock in Action

Level: S
DRA: 40
Genre:
Biography
Strategy:
Analyze/Evaluate
Skill:
Author’s Purpose
Word Count: 1,263
Jackson Pollock
in Action
by Barbara Tillman
4.2.10
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01920-8
ISBN-10: 0-547-01920-3
1031757
1031757
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN
Jackson Pollock
in Action
by Barbara Tillman
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Art: © 2007 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York;
Digital Image: © Martha Holmes/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images; tp © Susan Wood/Getty Images; 3 Art: © 2007
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Digital Image: © Martha Holmes/Time & Life
Pictures/Getty Images; 4 © Carmel Studios/SuperStock; 6 Art: © 2007 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights
Society (ARS), New York; Digital Image: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, NY; 7 © Corbis;
8 Art: © 2007 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Digital Image: © SuperStock, Inc./
SuperStock; 10 © Danny Lehman/Corbis; 12 © Susan Wood/Getty Images.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior
written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests
for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers,
Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777.
Printed in China
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01920-8
ISBN-10: 0-547-01920-3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0940 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers
retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.
Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into
electronic format.
Table of Contents
Early Experiences
4
A Change
5
The Art Students League
6
Painting with Expression
8
Action Painter
12
The Life and Career of Jackson Pollock
14
Jackson Pollock
is hard at work.
Picture a painter standing before a canvas. He
carefully dips his brush into scarlet watercolor to paint
the glossy cherries in a fruit bowl. The studio is peaceful, with only the quiet strains of classical music. Ah,
what a life!
Now imagine a room-sized canvas stretched across
the floor of an old barn. The artist crouches to pour
paint directly onto the canvas. The sweat beads on his
forehead as he directs a stick through the thick liquid
soaking the surface of the canvas. He stops only when
he’s too tired to continue. This, too, is art—Jackson
Pollock style.
3
The Grand Canyon was an inspiring place for Pollock.
Early Experiences
Paul Jackson Pollock was born January 28, 1912, in
Wyoming. Within ten years, however, his family had
moved six times. Discouraged by his farming failures,
Pollock’s father became a surveyor and moved the
family to Arizona in 1924.
There, young Pollock explored rivers, hills,
ancient ruins, and American Indian reservations. The
boy marveled at the Grand Canyon’s vivid colors. He
was fascinated by the desert landscape, which seemed
to have no border. These early experiences likely triggered Pollock’s interest in art.
4
A Change
After moving to Los Angeles in 1928 with his
mother and two older brothers, Charles and Sanford,
Pollock received permission to enter Manual Arts
High School. Here, Pollock first learned about
abstract art, which concentrates on form and colors
rather than realistic pictures. This type of art appealed
to the young painter, possibly because it allowed him
to express his own feelings and ideas.
Charles soon left for New York to study at the Art
Students League. He had artistic talent, too!
At age eighteen, Jackson Pollock dropped out of
high school. He was determined, even stubborn, about
becoming an artist. Hauling what possessions he could
gather, he joined Charles at the Art Students League.
There, he decided to shed his first name, Paul, and
chose to make his artistic debut as Jackson Pollock.
5
Pollock’s Going West (1934) showed the influence
of his teachers on his art.
The Art Students League
Pollock threw himself into the study of the paintings from many well-known artists, and learned about
composition and drawing.
Like other artists throughout the ages, Pollock’s
paintings showed the influence of those he admired,
including Spanish painters such as Pablo Picasso and
Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (dee-AY-goh ri-VEHrah). Yet, Pollock continued to search for his own
technique and style.
6
By October 1934, Sanford had joined Pollock in
New York City. The two shared a small space and a
$10-a-week cleaning job.
Few Americans could afford art at this time.
Many were out of work and hungry during
this time in the United States known as the Great
Depression. The Pollock brothers soon became a
part of the government’s Federal Art Project, which
paid artists to make public places beautiful during the
country’s mournful times.
The money the
brothers earned
allowed them to
pursue their own art.
By 1938, Pollock had
left the league and
parted with traditional art.
The Pollock brothers
were just some of
the many artists who
painted for the Federal
Art Project.
7
Painting with Expression
Pollock’s life changed dramatically when he
met and fell in love with artist Lee Krasner.
Krasner introduced him to Peggy Guggenheim
(GOO-gihn-heyem), an art gallery owner whom
Krasner hoped would feature Pollock’s first solo show.
To help bring in money, the couple worked small
jobs, such as designing posters. In 1945, Pollock and
Krasner moved to The Springs, a small community near East Hampton, New York. Here Pollock’s
art brightened as he
responded more to
nature. Pollock moved
away from the gloomy
tones of his earlier
work.
Nature surrounded
Pollock at The Springs,
and it is reflected in his
later paintings.
8
In his barn studio, Pollock experimented with a
technique he’d learned nearly ten years earlier when
he toured Los Angeles. At a workshop for artists, he’d
worked with regular house paint and begun to drip,
rather than brush, liquid on canvas.
Guggenheim did host Pollock’s first solo show.
This means the art gallery had only art by Pollock
on display. It was the first time an American had a
solo show at Guggenheim’s gallery. Pollock’s fifteen
oil paintings and a number of works on paper sold for
between $25 and $750.
Pollock also painted a mural for Guggenheim’s
townhouse. To complete the twenty-foot canvas,
he actually tore down a wall in his apartment!
Guggenheim’s guests fell in love with the mural. It
was a triumph that towered in the entrance. Pollock
wanted to do more with large-canvas work.
9
A Navajo artist creating a sand painting.
In June of 1947, Pollock moved to a larger studio
on Long Island, New York, and began to create more
large-scale abstract pieces. He placed a large canvas
on the floor and attacked it from all directions, sometimes pouring paint directly on it.
This technique reminded him of the Navajo
Indian sand paintings he had seen as a child in the
Southwest. Colored sand would fall from the hand
of the artist to the ground. Just as the Navajo artists
controlled the sand to create their artwork, Pollock
controlled each stream of liquid on his canvas.
10
The year 1948 brought Pollock to the attention of
the world. Guggenheim decided to close her gallery
and asked another gallery owner to feature Pollock’s
work. His first show in the new gallery took place in
January and included nine of his new drip-style pieces.
Reviews were generally positive.
In May, Pollock joined others to protest art critics and museums that rejected abstract art. Although
abstract art was becoming more accepted, some people
felt it did not deserve to be called art.
Perhaps Pollock’s crowning glory came in
October, when a magazine published an article on art.
In the article, Pollock’s work was mentioned alongside
one of the greats, Pablo Picasso. The artist had truly
made his mark!
Pablo Picasso was a famous Spanish artist
who painted in many different styles. One of
the styles used geometric shapes and showed
the object or person from many different
angles. His creative work influenced many
artists, including Pollock.
11
The paint-splattered floor of Pollock’s studio shows his
active style.
Action Painter
Pollock’s show at the gallery the following year
met with mixed reviews. Although some had thought
his work was brilliant, others felt his paintings were
messy, unplanned, and unattractive.
Beginning in the 1940s, Pollock started to
number, rather than name, his pieces. Krasner, who
had become his wife, felt that numbers forced people
to look at the painting without being influenced by its
name. Pollock’s paintings continued to reflect his feelings, his ideas, and his view of the world around him.
12
One reviewer nicknamed Pollock “Jack the
Dripper,” though others continued to praise his
work. Photographer Hans Namuth asked Pollock for
permission to photograph and film the artist at work.
Namuth took many photographs of Pollock in
action. After watching the painter stretch, twist,
and move about as he worked, Namuth (and others)
thought that Pollock seemed to dance. He would
choose each movement for a specific purpose. Harold
Rosenberg invented the term “action painter” to
describe Pollock’s energetic, moving presence as he
painted.
Sadly, Pollock died as a result of an auto accident
in 1956 at the age of 44. His life and career ended
much too soon. His work, however, lives on to communicate his thoughts, feelings, and ideas to anyone
who views it.
In Jackson Pollock’s case, the man and the art
were one and the same.
13
The Life and Career of
Jackson Pollock
January 28, 1912: Born in Wyoming
1924: Inspired by art and landscape of Arizona
1928: Enrolled in Manual Arts High School and studied
abstract art
1930: Moved to New York to study at the Art Students
League, and changed his name
1931–1934: Journeyed cross-country and attended a
workshop in CA, where he started dripping paint
1934: Joined by Sanford in New York
1935–1942: Worked for the Federal Arts Project
Mid-to-late 1940s: Developed drip and pour techniques
and action painting
1950: Received national recognition as an abstract
artist
August 11, 1956: Died in automobile accident
14
Responding
Author’s Purpose What
purpose did the author have for writing this
book? What details does she use to support her
purpose? Copy and complete the chart below.
TARGET SKILL
Text detail
The government
paid Pollock to
make art during
the Great
Depression.
Text detail
?
Text detail
?
Purpose
To show readers that Pollock was a great artist
HMRLR_ GO_InferenceMap.eps
Write About It
Text to Self Write two paragraphs about a
musician or artist you admire. Describe the
person and give details to persuade readers to
agree with your opinion.
15
TARGET VOCABULARY
border
debut
discouraged
hauling
mournful
permission
stubborn
toured
towered
triumph
Author’s Purpose Use text details to figure out the author’s reasons for writing.
TARGET SKILL
Analyze/Evaluate Think carefully about the text and form an opinion about it.
TARGET STRATEGY
GENRE Biography tells about events in a person’s life, written by another person.
16
Level: S
DRA: 40
Genre:
Biography
Strategy:
Analyze/Evaluate
Skill:
Author’s Purpose
Word Count: 1,263
Jackson Pollock
in Action
by Barbara Tillman
4.2.10
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01920-8
ISBN-10: 0-547-01920-3
1031757
1031757
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN