Full Fathom Five

• Who is the artist?

  Jackson Pollock
• When was it painted?

  1947
• What is the style? Give a short definition

  Abstract expressionism (late 1940s - early 1960s) = emphasises emotional intensity and non-representational forms.
• What are the two purposes?

  (1) Emulate the emotions felt in relation to the topic of drowning.

  (2)Rebels against tradition to produce an artwork that encapsulates emotion, embodying the movements of the se and contains esoteric qualities. 
• What is the inspiration?

  Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” (expressed within the title)
• Who was it influenced by?

  Europoean Surrealist artists such as Max Ernst who brought to America the idea of accessing one’s unconscious mind when creating art + promoted ‘automatic processes’ to make more direct/deeply felt piece.
• Give the critical texts

  “action painting” (Harold Rosenburg) (first point)

  “Pollock had re-imagined the canvas…….[as] an arena in which to act” (Harold Rosenburg) (conclusion)

  "I am nature" (Pollock)
• Give a composition point about the artists movements

  Point: The artist’s movements are recorded through his application of paint.

  Reasoning: Uses the ‘drip technique’ by pouring household paint along a brush or even a stick, dripping the material onto the canvas.

  Effect: Was able to control the viscosity of the paint by not only using thinners like turpentine + by manipulating the speed/movements of his hand gestures.

  
• Give a composition point about the paintbrush - canvas relationship.

  This ability does not permit the paintbrush/stick to interact with the canvas.

  Effect: This freedom of expression highlights a sense of spontaneity. = results in the art being not a representative of nature but instead be a record of the energy of nature.
• Give a composition point about the variating widths of the lines

  Point: Idea can also be indicated through the variation in the width of the lines.

  Reasoning: white lines appear gloopy and slow whereas the black lines seem to be thin, curvilinear and almost seem to trickle quickly over the other lines present.

  Effect: Would not only provide framework for the art & would also give panting a feeling of dynamism. As a result of this, the alteration in the drip lines + brush marks could resemble inner emotions of Pollock himself, conveying compliance to the style of abstract expressionism.

  
• Give a colour point about the palette

  Point: uses a specific yet extensive polychromatic palette

  Reasoning: including hues such as orange, purple and even silver, however the artwork is predominately dominated by the colours of black, blue and white.

  Effect: the blue tones would imitate the sea and the white would recall the reflection of the water’s surface.
• Give a composition / MTP point about the 'found objects'

  Point: Pollock decided to place the canvas onto the floor, allowing ‘found objects’ to fall and become a part of the paint’s surface.

  Evidence: cigarettes, nails, tacks, buttons, keys, coins and matches

  Effect: Add to the spontaneity of the painting’s production

  
• Give the conclusion point

  Through this medium, able to fully express the emotion presented within this seascape, with the support of Carl Jung’s psychoanalysis, in which his theory of the collective unconscious stated that archetypal symbols (e.g. the sea) controlled our subconscious. Consequently, Pollock’s success in revealing emotion through his artwork, assisted him in becoming a key figure in the history of Modern Art as his “drip technique” was the symbol of intellectual creativity, highlighting the effectiveness of his “action painting”.