The world of physics has recently given major props to the work of Jackson Pollock, revealing that a painting technique some might dismiss as "random" was actually an in-depth, intuitive study of "certain features of fluid dynamics years before physicists thought to study them". In honor of his newfound scientific célébrité, here are my favorite Pollock-It-Yourself Apartment Therapy posts…
First, check out Wired's "The Cutting-Edge Physics of Jackson Pollock" by Lisa Grossman. She explores the ways Pollock's work has been studied, and celebrated, by art historians, mathematicians, and now, physicists studying the mechanics of "coiling". I would attempt to describe this phenomenon in physics, but I think it would be better for all involved to let the experts at Wired explain. My favorite quote is, "The first physics papers that touched on this phenomenon appeared in the late 1950s, but Pollock knew all about it in 1948." Hah! Take that, science! (Just kidding, science. Physics, you know I always loved you. Just not as much as I loved art.) And now, to bring a little Pollock magic into your home...
• Check out this post about Joe Fig, who creates miniature versions of artists' studios, including Pollock's.
• Drip painting is the perfect project for kids, and there's a fun tutorial over at Ohdeedoh.
• Unplgged has a feature on the Pollockian laser show you can create with only a Roomba and....a lot more tech know-how than I'll ever have. But you should try it!
• "Inspiration: Bringing Famous Art Into Your Home On A Budget" includes an incredibly simple & addictive make-your-own-Pollock website.
• Finally, "Make Your Own Jackson Pollock Inspired Shower Curtain". Has anyone tried this? Did it work? Was it awesome? Or messy? Or awesomely messy?
Images: Studio by Joe Fig, Kid's Painting by Alejandra Valera for Ohdeedoh, Roomba Project & Photos by Reconscious via Unplgged, DIY Digital Pollock from Apartment Therapy, Shower Curtain from Restoration Hardware, Pollock from Apartment Therapy
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I checked out Joe Fig's website - amazing! You really feel you can experience a little bit of the artist as you go through the pics.
There's a book I read when I was in art school, Art & Physics by Leonard Shlain, that draws a lot of parallels in history between developments in science and what was happening in art in those periods of time. Very fascinating stuff, if you find this article interesting, definitely grab a copy of that book!
Oh, bullsh!t.
Look, I love Pollock's work, but to call him a master of fluid dynamics or physics is a about as truthful as calling buddhists experts as quantum physics. And, yes, I've taken fluid dynamics and quantum.
AT needs to stick with things like appreciating Pollock's art for his artistic abilities.
Oh Brother...
The man was a highly-troubled, orphaned, chronic alcoholic influenced by Native American Indian Sandpaintings and was fortunate enough to be discovered by art collectors/dealers such as Peggy Guggenheim who were on the perpetual lookout for avant-garde "artists".
The whole pseudo-scientific connection is just recently made up by a bunch of folks looking to find meaning in some pretty paint splatters that essentially had no meaning - Hence his methodology of numbering his paintings rather than naming them.
I love Pollock! This is awesome, I bookmarked it to come back to :)
I like early, pre-splatter Pollock.
I absolutely adore his work. There is currently an exhibition of a few of his pieces showing here in Toronto at The Art Gallery of Ontario - it was well worth it. His wife, Lee Krasner, was an excellent artist as well, but put her energy into promoting him. Check out the move on his life "Pollock" made in 2000 starring Ed Harris.
Agree with Bepsf and RocketScientist. How does fluid dynamics account for the cigarette butts and trash all globbed in with the paint? Jackson Pollock was famous largely due to his personality (or persona, depending upon your point of view) and his 'people.' Pollock can be credited with being the first to use large scale drip painting techniques, but I don't think its fair or accurate to cal him a physicist.
Pollock's style developed out of his work in the early 40s with Navajo sand painters. He believed Jung's notion that colonizers inherit the racial members of indigenous people they displace [let me just say that I find that notion odious and without merit]. Perhaps the physicists should give credit to the Native American artists who have worked in this tradition for generations.
Oh, wait, that would be like the white Blues musicians of the 60s paying royalties to the African American originators of the songs they recorded on early rock albums.
Never mind.
per the article "Pollock probably didn’t consciously realize how he was exploiting fluid dynamics in his paintings. “I think if you told Pollock,"
yeah. he did'nt.
I don't argue that his works are beautiful but this is a stretch!
Um . . . nope, sorry. He's still the biggest scam in the history of art.