| Jackson Pollock, a great American painter of the | | | | figures on the canvas, which were eventually |
| 20th century, established a distinct way of | | | | obscured by paint. |
| painting that produced a major impact on the | | | | Number 28 is currently located at the Metropolitan |
| world of art. In 1950, Jackson Pollock created his | | | | Museum of Art in New York. |
| 'black paintings', unique and remarkable pieces of | | | | Number 31 (One) - During the summer and |
| art that featured a combination of | | | | autumn of 1950, Jackson Pollock completed three |
| erratically-controlled painting and the use of the | | | | black paintings in quick sequence, Number 31 being |
| colour black. | | | | the first of three. This oil and enamel on canvas |
| The Pollock Style | | | | shows off his mastery of the "drip" technique. |
| Jackson Pollock was part of the Abstract | | | | What is unique about this painting is that there is |
| Expressionism movement, a post-World War II | | | | no specific point of focus and there is no obvious |
| art evolution which essentially put New York at | | | | pattern or repetition; nevertheless, the chaos is |
| the center of the Western art world. Painting in | | | | controlled. Some of the enamel is matte, and |
| this style consisted of applying emphasis on | | | | some glossy. The colours weave through one |
| spontaneous motion. Pollock was well accustomed | | | | another, like a spider web's threads of blues and |
| to that approach as he had already adopted | | | | grays, cut with black and white. Although the |
| 'action' painting, a technique whereby colour is | | | | layers of paint are thick, they still manage to |
| randomly splashed, smeared and dripped onto a | | | | create a delicate harmony. |
| canvas. Part of what made Pollock's style unique | | | | Number 31 (One) is housed in New York's |
| was his belief that the journey involved in creating | | | | Museum of Modern Art. |
| art was just as important as the finished product. | | | | No. 1, Lavender Mist, 1950 Art Print |
| Other renowned artists associated with Pollock's | | | | Number 1 (Lavender Mist) - This painting is a |
| style, and who made an important impact on art | | | | combination of oil, enamel, and aluminum on |
| were Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Jean | | | | canvas. Pollock separated and marbled one enamel |
| Paul Riopelle. | | | | colour into another, and within these patterns, he |
| Pollock's Use of Black | | | | introduced small strips of black on the light pink |
| Although Jackson Pollock's black paintings are | | | | shade. |
| sometimes referred to as 'black and white', works | | | | There are two interesting things about Number 1. |
| by other painters such as Kooning, Motherwell, | | | | The first is that the title, suggested by Pollock's |
| and Kline better fit the 'black and white' tag. The | | | | friend Clement Greenberg, evokes the paintings |
| primary colour in Pollock's paintings is black. | | | | strong atmospheric effect even though the colour |
| Pollock began his black paintings by pouring black | | | | lavender is not used whatsoever. The painting's |
| Duco paint, which he thinned with turpentine, | | | | hues are mostly white, blue, yellow, gray, pink, |
| directly onto a blank canvas. The canvas was | | | | and of course, black. The second is that Pollock's |
| soft, unlike a primed canvas which is firm, so | | | | hand prints can be detected in the paint. |
| when the black paint was applied, it blurred (as | | | | Number 1 is located in the National Gallery of Art |
| when a photograph is enlarged and lines appear | | | | in Washington, DC. |
| frayed). | | | | Number 30 (Autumn Rhythm) - Painted in |
| According to his wife Lee Krasner Pollock, her | | | | October of 1950, Pollock used enamel on canvas |
| husband's painting tools were sticks, basting | | | | to create Number 30. He started by spreading a |
| syringes, and old brushes that had become stiff. | | | | black line across the canvas, over which he drew |
| A Look at Jackson Pollock's Black Paintings | | | | white, brown and turquoise lines to create a |
| Pollock's most recognized black paintings are: | | | | contrast between light and dark, thin and thick, |
| Number 28, 1950, Number 31, known as One, | | | | straight lines and curved lines. |
| Number 1, known as Lavender Mist, and Number | | | | Pollock had originally drawn human forms in the 3 |
| 30, known as Autumn Rhythm. | | | | sections of the painting but they were typically |
| Number 28, 1950 - Painted in the early summer | | | | covered up by the layers of paint. The edges of |
| of 1950, this enamel on canvas represents many | | | | the canvas are hardly touched with paint, creating |
| layers of paint applied from all sides of the | | | | a self-made frame that serves as a fence to |
| canvas, in the typical Pollock style. On the verso | | | | contain the controlled madness of the colour. |
| of the canvas, traces of black and yellow | | | | Number 30 is housed in the Metropolitan Museum |
| drawings can be detected. It was common of this | | | | of Art in New York. |
| art movement to start most paintings by drawing | | | | |