Christina Leary - Jackson Pollock

November 15th, 2017
Christina Leary - Jackson Pollock
Today in class we watched some of the movie Pollock. I learned, after doing a quick wikipedia search, that he was a key figure in the expressionist art movement. He is particularly well known for his style of drip painting. We actually just got far enough in the movie to see him discover it. I’m usually pretty enchanted by movies depicting complex and tragic figures, I like to think everyone can relate to them in some way but this movie was out of my league for the most part. I liked a moment every here and there but I found that what Jackson Pollock was trying to do was not only strange but self defeating. However, I am also not really well-versed on the subject of art, I really don't know anything about it’s history or technique. So, maybe the fact of the matter is that because of my lack of background knowledge I could just simply not appreciate what he was doing or really who he is. With this disclaimer being said I now feel comfortable to explore some questions that occurred to me after watching the movie.
One of the main things that stood out to me as strange or forced was this idea that Pollock wanted his art to be an outpouring of emotion as it flowed through him. It seemed to me that is was supposed to be free, natural, and unplanned. However, at certain points in the movie if something looked connected or to form a figure he would intentionally move away from it. I found this to be self defeating, I also think Pollock probably did too. It probably played into all of his intense issues which manifested themselves in his alcoholism. I wondered though is this outpouring of pure emotion even possible? Furthermore, if it was, why would it even qualify as art? What about that is artistic? For Van Der Leeuw I’m not sure if that would quite match the holiness he sees in art. Or would it? Perhaps if the emotion is recreated in that piece of art it would fit with Van Der Leeuw because one might be understanding themselves through the other, that other being the art itself. However, this comes if we accept that the pure outpouring of emotion into a piece of art, specifically a painting, is possible.

Another question that came to mind while watching the movie was, can we call art “good” if it came from an “evil” person? My answer is yes but I think this is a very important axiological question that arises throughout history and should not be easily dismissed. Other manifestations include: can a lying man be a “good” orator or speaker? Were people like Stalin and Hitler “good” leaders? A part of the movie I found particularly troubling was when Pollock, and who I think was Peggy Guggenheim, had sex. It seemed anything but intimate and watching I felt uncomfortable. I thought his character was a “bad” man who wasn't trying to improve. Furthermore his alcoholism was another troubling part of the movie and as I found out later it actually caused him to die at a very early age. These things made me judge his value as an artist not as a human being. It is important that you keep in mind I am saying the value of his art and not of his humanness. I would find it hard to support his art because of his actions. But do we all not do wrong, do evil. I believe we do. But the question then because for me does his art lose its value because of who he is or what he does? And if it doesn't, should it?

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