This Is Jackson Pollock.

This is Jackson Pollock.

The picture was taken by Arnold Newman. Jackson Pollock was a painter. Fifty years after he died when he was thrown from his car and hit a tree, lots and lots and lots and lots of folks still argue and argue and argue about him and his paintings. Lots and lots and lots and lots of folks say "he was a freaking genius" or "he was freaking Jesus in blue jeans" or they say "my kid can do that" or "I can do that" or "that shit is shit".

Me? I like Jackson Pollock the bestest of all the painters who have ever, ever painted in the whole of the world. Ever. And my job here isn't to tell folks what they should think or not think about Jackson Pollock. My job is to... well, I don't know what my job here is today.

Jackson Pollock, was he a genius? I don't know. Genius has become one of those words that get thrown around way, way, way too much. I know he was a heck of a painter artist guy.

He painted some of the twenthieth century's most iconic images. And he helped bring a new dynamic to art. And he proved that folks in the Americas knew a thing or two about art. And he was complicated and driven and needed, needed, needed to tear down all the rules of art that had been set in freaking stone.

Was he Jesus come to save the artists from the rules and regulations they had grown up with? Nah. He was just a guy born in Cody, Wyoming. He wasn't sent from on-high. He grew up surronded by the mythos of the Wild West and brought that rebellion to whatever he was going to do when he grew up.

When he became famous, all The Great Art came from Europe. Only. Any pretenders in this hemisphere were only ripping on Picasso and those cats. So the guy born in Cody who liked booze and cars and women and painting kicked at the Established Way of Doing Things until the Established Way of Doing Things sat down and shut up.

And this is Jackson Pollock. Complicated, moody, friendly, generous, selfish, outlaw, sellout, artist.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.




This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.


This is Jackson Pollock.

And that was Jackson Pollock. Complicated, moody, friendly, generous, selfish, outlaw, sellout, artist.


For more information, please consult your local library. Or go here.

For more information on the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, go here.

And for more way too much fun... go to jacksonpollock.org. Just run your mouse over the page, click for different colours. Enjoy.

Ciao.