The Art of Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956) was born in Cody, Wyoming. He was one of the first American painters to become an international star and he lived up to the “rock star” reputation by living recklessly and drinking excessively. He was famed for his notorious drip paintings, including his nickname from Time magazine as “Jack the Dripper”.

(Pollock, Jackson. Blue Poles, Number 11. c. 1952. oil on canvas. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.)

In his youth, Pollock studied traditional art at the Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. He then moved to New York and studied at the Art Students League under Thomas Hart Benton from 1929 to 1942. Soon after, he leaned toward the surrealistic style. His early work had very expressionistic strokes but, he became more interested in the act of painting itself. This action then became the subject matter as an expression of his isolation in the modern world.

(Pollock, Jackson. Eyes in the Heat. c. 1946. oil on canvas. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.)

Pollock began making his drip paintings in 1947. They established his reputation and completely revolutionized the process by which a painting was supposed to be made. Instead of using an easel, he laid the canvas on the floor. He then moved over the canvas and splattered or dripped paint onto it, sometimes directly from the tube or can. Instead of using brushes, he dripped the paint from a stick, poured it, flung it, or smeared it. He also used strange objects to scratch into the surface or to create a thick crust of paint.

(Pollock, Jackson. Lavender Mist, Number 1. c. 1950. oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.)

Pollock soon became a leader in the Action Painting and Abstract Expressionism movements as he paved the way for other artists to express themselves in this style. He also revolutionized the idea of composition by creating pieces that had no focal point. No one shape or object was the main focus, he treated the edges and the center the same as if all parts of the painting were equal. They were pieces as Pollock said, with “no beginning or end”.

(Pollock, Jackson. Convergence. c. 1952. oil on canvas. Albright Knox Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y.)

Pollock’s career was cut short by his untimely death when he died in an automobile accident but, he main a colossal impact. He turned the art world on its ear both in the United States and in Europe, forcing western society to once again as the question of “What defines a Piece of Art?” and his work is much appreciated here!

Enjoy! :) 

Reference:

• King, R. Art. New York: DK Publishing. 2008.

The Art of Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732 – 1806) was born in Grasse, France to a family of shopkeepers and glove-makers. He was the last of the Rococo movement in France before the Neoclassical style took root. Rococo artists applied a decorative style and embodied a cheerful, optimistic approach to the subject matter that was popular during the Baroque era. Fragonard’s The Swing is one of the most famous paintings of this movement.

(Fragonard, Jean-Honoré. The Swing. c. 1767. oil on canvas. The Wallace Collection, London.)

Fragonard moved to Paris in 1738 with his family. He apprenticed for an attorney, who noticed his love for drawing and suggested that he study art instead. He soon became a pupil of Jean-Siméon Chardin and shortly after he was introduced to Boucher. In 1747, he studied under Boucher for a year. It was here that he gained a feeling for color and developed his signature lightness of touch.

(Fragonard, Jean-Honoré. Diana and Endymion. c. 1753. oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.)

In 1752, he won the prestigious Prix de Rome which enabled him to study in Italy. Here he became friends with Hubert Robert and they toured the country together. In 1761 he returned to France and his paintings soon drew the attention of the king’s mistress, who began to commission his work.

(Fragonard, Jean-Honoré. A Young Girl Reading. c. 1770. oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.)

Fragonard preferred decorative sensual themes over the traditional academic, which was more suited for the boudoir than for public display at that time. He liked to display his talent for painting, by painting at incredible speeds. He claimed to have painted a portrait of his friend in one hour. His loose expressive brushwork and handling of local color influenced the future Impressionist artists, especially Renoir.

(Fragonard, Jean-Honoré. The Bolt. c. 1778. oil on canvas. Louvre, Paris, France.)

Fragonard produced over 550 paintings in his lifetime, which is an impressive portfolio. His brushwork and handling of paint are unlike any other. Seeing his paintings in person is an absolutely breathtaking experience and his work is much appreciated here! 

Enjoy! :)

References 

• King, R. Art. New York: DK Publishing. 2008.

The Art of Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas (1834 – 1917) was born in Paris, France. He worked in a wide range of media, including oil, watercolor, chalk, pastel, pencil, etching, and photography. He is well known for the elegant ballerina dancers that he painted. While most of the artists focused on their stage performance, Degas was unique in that he captured random informal scenes from dance class or their rehearsals. His compositions seem spontaneous, but they were extremely daring at that time.

(Degas, Edgar. L'etoile [The Star]. c. 1878. pastel on paper. Musée d’Orsay, Paris.)

Degas began painting at an early age. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts which was one of the top art schools in France at that time. He also studied under Louis Lamothe, who was a former pupil of Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres. With this education, he was well on his way to becoming a traditional artist.

(Degas, Edgar. Bailarinas entre bastidores [Four Ballerinas behind the Stage]. c. 1898. oil on canvas. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Russia.)

After a trip to the Louvre in 1864, his work changed radically. Here Degas encountered an accidental meeting with Manet, a famous painter at the time. Manet influenced Degas in the new emerging contemporary style of Impressionism.

(Degas, Edgar. Le tub [The Tub]. c. 1886. pastel on card. Musée d’Orsay, Paris.)

During this time, the industrial revolution produced metal tubes of paint that were portable so it was now possible to paint outside the studio and landscape painting was all the rage. The Impressionists were interested in the effects of light, and they hoped to infuse their scenes with immediacy. Degas was unlike the majority in that he did not use flecks of intense color and he was not interested in painting landscapes or the practice of en Plein Air, a French term which means to paint “in the open air”.

(Degas, Edgar. Four Dancers. c. 1899. oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.)

Degas did however try to capture the moment in his work but, he preferred to work inside his studio. Here he painted from memory or sketched from models, who posed for him. He also mimicked the random effects of the new technology of photography.

(Degas, Edgar. La classe de danse [The Dancing Class]. c. 1874. oil on canvas. Musée d’Orsay, Paris.)

Degas said, “no art was ever less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and of the study of the great masters; of inspiration, spontaneity, temperament, I know nothing.”

(Degas, Edgar. Before the Ballet. c. 1890. oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.)

Degas was a master of movement. He intentionally avoided borrowing poses from classical statues or the Old Master paintings and he loved to capture off-guard moments. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between his oil paintings and his pastel paintings. Degas purposely painted his oils to have the appearance of a piece created with pastel and his work is much appreciated here! 

Enjoy! :) 

Reference: King, R.

Art. New York: DK Publishing. 2008.