Rebirth of an individual echoing the impulses of the collective, an insight into Jackson Pollock’s world
Painting as a state of being
Something in me knows where I’m going, and — well, painting is a state of being. … Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.
Pollock was influenced by his father in thinking about the philosophy, the values and the individual. There is a whole collection of correspondence between the two with very inspiring thoughts by his father, LeRoy wrote to a 16 year old Jackson:
The secret of success is concentrating interest in life, interest in sports and good times, interest in your studies, interest in your fellow students, interest in the small things of nature, insects, birds, flowers, leaves, etc. In other words to be fully awake to everything about you & the more you learn the more you can appreciate & get a full measure of joy & happiness out of life. – Excerpt
Convergence, 1952
Memorable quotes:
The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.It doesn’t make much difference how the paint is put on as long as something has been said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.
No. 5, 1948
The strangeness will wear off and I think we will discover the deeper meanings in modern art.
