Pollock Lived in the "Now"

Art in its truest form seeks to do one thing – express feelings, emotions and the in
otner workings of the human mind. Some of the most famous and “important” paintings are depictions of realistic life – natural landscapes, portraits and human life in general. While some artists depended on the world around them to create pieces, others went into the depths of their minds to be inspired.
Although a work like Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa roused emotion and helped bring light to a politically fueled cause, it is important to recognize the equal weightiness of abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock. Pollock rose to fame in the late 1940’s when his style of “drip painting” began to gain notoriety. In order to do this, Pollock would pour and drip layers of paint onto a canvas on the floor. This style was deemed “action painting.” According to the text by Rosenberg, this method brought Pollock out of the typical forum that artists belonged to. He was placed into the “arena” and not just tending to a space where reality could be reproduced.

When talking about the originality factor, Walter Benjamin states that even the “most perfect” piece of art that is reproduced can lack. Jackson Pollock’s work serves as an antidote to this because his work is so much in the present. He worked off of his present emotions and the depths of his mind. Although some of the most sought after paintings and works of art are beautiful and priceless in nature, abstract works like those that Pollock created are creatively untouchable. Peter Paul Rubens’ Samson and Delilah is a gorgeous representation of a biblical story, and remains one of the most visited paintings at London’s National Gallery. No serious comparison could be made with Rubens and Pollock though – they’re completely different animals.

It’s been said that Pollock was not famous for the end-result subject of his paintings, but the palpable energy and emotion that went into the creative process. To recreate this would be hard, if not impossible. Sure postcards, key chains and posters can be printed in Pollock’s style – but nothing compares to the original canvas, displaying emotions in their purest, dripping form.