The Rediscovery of Jackson Pollock

I have recently started watching a series of lectures by UC Berkeley Practice of Art from Spring 2011 edition. In his lecture Introduction to Visual Thinking Professor John S. McNamara has asked the class (of probably freshmen, mostly American students) whether they know and like Jackson Pollock. Those, who “really respond to his work” were “a small number of a small number”. I felt some disappointment in the speaker’s voice, so probably to somehow justify such a low awareness the lecturer added that Pollock is “a very hard artist to understand”.

Myself, I have been first introduced to Pollock back in 2004 when as a Business major student, I was also allowed to take art studio classes at Baskin Visual Arts Center that turned into the brightest memories of my entire year at UCSC. Professor Frank Galuszka was very passionate about Pollock and his dripping technique, but at that time I was more into Kandinsky basing my paintings on his color theory after reading Concerning the Spiritual in Art 1910 book. 

The rediscovery of Jackson Pollock happened back in early October 2013 thanks to Pollock and The Irascibles – The New York School at Palazzo Reale, a part of Autunno Americano cultural project that brought Whitney Museum of American Art collection, including one of the most famous Pollock's painting Number 27 (1951), to Milan. Even those who do not like abstract expressionism or are as indifferent as I was before, will find it interesting to attend. Well-curated, with only few minor defects such as broken light (that is probably fixed by now) was giving a special shadow effect to Morris Louis painting, a video presentation by Luca Beatrice only in Italian (watch here) and a bit confusing flow/signage as well as an odd location of a gift shop inside the exhibition space instead of being adjacent to it (right after the first room, yet, with the entrance from the last exhibition hall), the show is a great way to discover and to learn about the first pure American art movement and its key figures. While the focus is on Pollock, exhibition represents other painters of post-war USA such as William De Kooning, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Ad Reinhardt, Clifford Still, Bradley Walker Tomlin, Richard Pousette-Dart. The Irascibles or Irascible 18, as they were called after submitting an open letter to New York's Metropolitan Museum director boycotting American Painting Today - 1950 exhibition are depicted on a famous photograph dressed up in suits as respectful bankers (except Pollock who already made a huge effort by taking off his favorite jeans and wearing a suit). 

In addition, the exhibition has a good mix of learning and fun thanks to video installation showing dripping technique in action as a step-by-step digital process or an option to lay down on a comfy sofa and look up where an extract of Jackson Pollock 51 documentary by Hans Namuth is screened. As far as I know, this is the only time when Pollock was speaking on camera when he was making a painting. 

the digital step-by-step process creates a white space on the floor into Pollock's Number 27 painting. Click here to learn more about this artowrk

 

A brilliant idea of placing the visitors below the screen with the video gives an effect of Pollock painting on you

Jackson Pollock 51 (1951) documentary by Hans Namuth, full movie

The sound is not the greatest, so here's the extract on Jackson Pollock's attitude to painting: 

“I enjoy working on a large canvas. I feel more at home, more at ease, in a big area. 

Having the canvas on the floor I feel nearer, more a part of the painting. This way I can walk around it, work from all four sides and be in the painting, similar to the Indian sand painters of the West. 

Sometimes I use a brush but often prefer using a stick. Sometimes I pour the paint straight out of the can. I like to use a dripping fluid paint. I also use sand, broken glass, pebbles, string, nails, or other foreign matter. 

A method of painting is a natural growth out of a need. I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them. 

Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement. When I am painting I have a general notion as to what I am about. I can control the flow of the paint. 

There is no accident, just as there is no beginning and no end. Sometimes I lose a painting, but I have no fear of changes...of destroying the image. Because a painting has a life of its own, I try to let it live.”

Happy Lefthanders Day!

Today around 13% of the world population celebrates Lefthanders Day  which might sound a bit awkward to the remaining population. 

On one hand, throughout the centuries lefthanders have suffered not only from ink spread over their handwritten text and left palm or troubles in using any sort of tools/items ergonomically designed for a righthander person but also from accusations of being related to a Satan, thus persecuted.

On the other hand, it is said that lefthanders' brains are structured differently, they are more creative, learn languages easier.. well, I still suffer from learning Italian and remembering tiny bits of French I studied few years back! 

All this said, to celebrate Left-hand Pride I did a little research on who among the artist was actually a lefthander. 

Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarotti 

Coeval masterminds, according to their biographer Vasari had “an intense dislike for each other”. It is difficult to chase back what was the actual reason as there is only one anonymous reference (mentioned in The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Oxford University Press, 1952) to an incident happened in front of  Santa Trinità church in Florence when Leonardo was asked to explain a passage of Dante to some assembly of nobles whom he was passing by. At the same time, Michelangelo was walking the street and Leonardo replied back: ‘Michelangelo will be able to tell you what it means'. Maybe Leonardo's tone or behavior was offensive, but Michelangelo, a real fan of Dante, thinking this had been said to entrap him, replied: ‘No, explain it yourself, horse-modeler that you are, who, unable to cast a statue in bronze, were forced to give up the attempt in shame.’ The horse models Michelangelo was referring to were those Leonardo planned to cast for the Duke of Milan, however, never did and the Duke at the end used his bronze to cast some cannons instead. 

I am not sure whether this accident happened before or after Leonardo's comment on sculptors in general (but, probably, targeting an ill-tempered Michelangelo in particular) that painters are more noble than sculptors whose hands are always dirty from clay. Indeed, Leonardo was more of a rock star of his time dressed in fine clothes, living a great life of that time and enjoying everyone's acceptance of his slow approach to work and unreliability while Michelangelo, a hardworking man suffered a lot from misunderstanding with his patrons, critique and time to time financial misery. 

Nevertheless, despite their discontent from each other, Milan's Catello Sforzesco unites the two Renaissance artists' unfinished works under one roof: few rooms decorated by Leonardo, but never finalized as he was more concentrated on working in Florence at that time and the Rondanini Pietà by Michelangelo that he worked on for more than fourteen years before he died at the age of 88. Reworked many times, this sculpture, depending from the angle perspective may seem like Jesus holding Mary vs. Mary cradling Jesus. 

Edward Munch

Norwegian artist whose 150th birthday is celebrated this year in Oslo is probably best known for The Scream painting that went on sale for $120 million in April 2012 becoming world's #9 most expensive painting sold on auctions or private sales. However, my favorites are the two works below:

Madonna, 1894-95

 

One of The Sick Child, 1985-1986 paintings dedicated to his sister's death. Probably, because of  a touching personal story behind this work, the style and techniques as well as the way the painting was lighted up in the museum, I remembered it as the best I have seen in the Munch museum in Oslo

Sir Cecil  Beaton

English photographer and stage designer best knows for the series of photo portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, Hollywood (and not only) celebrities as well as Vogue fashion photography. 

Queen Elizabeth II

Another Queen, but of Hollywood

Artist David Hockney 

Marlene Dietrich, 1935  

 Princess Ira Von Furstenberg, 1955

Maria Callas

C.Beaton for Vogue

C.Beaton for Vogue

 Fashion photography with Jackson Pollock's painting on the background

However, until last August, when an exhibition of Beaton's war theme photos were revealed from the Imperial War Museum archives, very few of us knew about this side of his photographic talent.

Men of a Long Range Desert Group after returning 

to HQ at the end of a desert patrol, Siwa, Libya, 1942 

There are many more lefthanders: Raphael,  Rembrandt, Albrecht Durer, Hans Holbein (the younger), Francesco Borromini, Jan des Bouvrie, Paul Klee, however, I will try to write something interesting on them some other time, maybe next August 13th!