Outcome

Artist

Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 - August 11, 1956) was a very influential American abstract expressionist painter. Famed for the style of drip painting he helped develop and popularize, Pollock dripped, poured, and threw paint onto a horizontal canvas using unconventional tools such as sticks or basting syringes, moving his entire body with an energy that was passed to his work. In doing so, he gave up some control to factors such as gravity or the paint's viscosity, leading some experts to believe he had some sort of innate understanding of chaotic motion. Additionally, Pollock practiced an "all-over" method of painting, avoiding "clear and distinct points of emphasis, or any identifiable parts within the canvas." As a result, Pollock often disregarded the dimensions of his canvas,  focusing on the features that could only be appreciated when viewing the work as a whole. Though Pollock himself questioned his own art, even abandoning his drip style at the peak of his popularity in 1951, his works have proved to have lasting popularity and influence.

Work

I chose Pollock's Autumn Rhythm (originally entitled Number 30), painted in 1950 and currently on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This was one of many works from his so-called "drip period," spanning the years between 1947 and 1950, during which many of his most famous paintings were produced. Each color of paint seems to be applied in a different expressive style. The brown paint, similar to the canvas, is the least pronounced, but still clearly forms some angular patterns in the background. The white patterns stand out more, forming some more curved, splashes and patterns. The black is the most prominent, forming a more continuous, though chaotic, mesh of splatters and drips.

Response

When I first viewed the painting, I immediately envisioned it as a representation of autumn, though this may have been affected by the painting's title. Still, the colors used would be right at home in an autumn forest. With this setting in mind, I saw the angular, brown patterns as tree trunks and bare branches in the background. The more energetic white patterns, especially the more concentrated splashes, seemed to express motion, like deer or rabbits with white fur patches. Finally, I noticed some bird-like shapes in the black patterns, representing crows flying around everything else in the scene.

Product

With my observations in mind, I set out to create a recreation. I used a free trial of an application called MyBrushes, which allows users to, among other things, draw things with brushes of different size, pressure, opacity, and hardness. I began by choosing each color, then decided on a pre-installed background that was a surprisingly good fit.  I immediately abandoned all hope of accurately replicating every shape for obvious reasons, so I decided to paint based on my general observations instead. Besides, Pollock practiced an "all-over" method of painting. It would be appropriate for me to do the same. 

Reflection

Beyond my somewhat accurate color choices and general patterns, there is little resemblance between my work and Pollock's. His has a better balance between each of the colors, with none as overbearing as my web of black paint. Mine also lacks the splatters, streaks, and drips of the original, since the application I used could only simulate conventional brush usage. 

I conclude that the only way to accurately produce a painting in Pollock's style is to use the same physical methods as the artist himself, using real paint and tools. There are far too many elements that affect the ways the paint splatters and the patterns turn out, ranging from the paint's viscosity to each unique brush movement, all of which are impossible to recreate in an electronic environment with a mouse or touchscreen. Until we can efficiently simulate the real world with physics calculations and motion capture, these abstract art forms will resist the advances of electronic media. And even then, it might still be easier (and more fun) to actually paint in Pollock's style.

Sources

http://www.galleryintell.com/artex/autumn-rhythm-by-jackson-pollock/

http://www.jackson-pollock.org/

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/488978