Autumn Rhythm by Jackson Pollock

 

“Autumn Rhythm: Number 30” is a piece of artwork created by Jackson Pollock, an influential American painter and a significant figure in the abstract expressionist movement. Abstract expressionism is a form of art that developed after World War II in New York City in the 1940s. It chronicled the fervor and constraints of modern life.  In the late 1930s, Pollock began visiting a Jungian analyst to treat his alcoholism. His analyst encouraged him to create drawings to outpour his feelings. These would shape Pollock's understanding of his pictures not only as expressions of his own mind, but expressions that might stand for the fear of all modern humanity living in the shadow of the devastating war. Pollock emphasized the journey to create art as being just as important as the piece itself. Pollock distinguished himself from other artists of the time with his radical abstract styles in the history of modern art. He detached line from color, redefined the categories of drawing and painting, and found a new means to describe pictorial space. By the 1940s, Jackson Pollock introduced his famous drip paintings, the first of their kind. He forever altered the course of art with his revolutionary techniques.

               Although some may look at Autumn Rhythm and merely see a bunch of splatters of paint that a five year old could produce, looking deeper into the artwork showcases otherwise.  Pollock first created a complex foundation using black paint and he then intricately added webs of white, brown, and turquoise lines, which produce the contrasting visual rhythms and sensations: light and dark, thick and thin, heavy and buoyant, straight and curved, horizontal and vertical. Although Pollock's imagery is nonrepresentational as was meant to be, "Autumn Rhythm" is evocative of nature, not only in its title but also in its coloring, horizontal orientation, and sense of ground and space. The piece originally had no name going only by “Number 30” but it was later named “Autumn Rhythm” due to it being reflective of the piece. Because there is no representation in the painting it is deemed timeless allowing for viewers to connect with it readily and not feel alienated. In a time where America was recovering from a terrible war, it was a comfort to the average American as it was a simple representation of a collective thought shared by the Americans. It served as an expression of an identity that could be expressed and shared by all.

               Many have looked at this work of art and dismissed it as art that is not “real art”. I, however, find many aspects of this painting rather intriguing and worthy of being appreciated. First and foremost, the preciseness of the various strokes, splatters, and drips make the painting beautiful. At first glance, the piece as a whole seems random and merely unorganized marks on a canvas but Pollock carefully placed each stroke with respect to space and color variants. The intricacy of the painting makes it so that no one can exactly replicate what Pollock has done. In my opinion, originality is a major component when determining a work’s beauty. Additionally, the variety of the painting is another attractive factor that elevates the beauty of the work. Every time you look at the painting you notice a specific line, blend of colors, or evidence of control that you may not have noticed the previous time. From various angles, the painting looks completely different. By using a mere four colors Pollock was able to put an enormous amount of depth into a two dimensional painting. He brought the canvas to life in a beautiful, persistently effortless way.