Jackson Pollock’s art continues to rise in value and importance. Today many of his pieces sold at auction go for millions of dollars.
Jackson Pollock was a brilliant and creative artist who was not afraid to try new techniques with art. He is known for being a founder of Abstract Expressionism and the gestural technique, also known as action painting. He never saw much success in his lifetime, but today his paintings fetch millions of dollars and are considered extremely valuable
Table of Contents
- The Value of Jackson Pollock’s Art Today.
- Jackson Pollock – Is An Iconic American Artist
- Jackson Pollock Developed One Of The Most Radical Abstract Styles
- Jackson Pollock Saw Himself In His Paintings
- Jackson Pollock Influenced Other Important American Art Movements
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Questions
The Value of Jackson Pollock’s Art Today.
In 2013, Jackson Pollock Number 16 sold for over $32 million at Christie’s New York City. This was an astounding amount of money for eight 30 3/4 and 22 1/2-inch paintings.
The painting sold for just over 47,000 USD per square inch, just under the median U.S. household income. Astonishingly, a painting with enamel paint thrown on it can be worth such an amount of money, especially that amount per square.
In 2016 another Jackson Pollock painting was said to sell for over $200 million at a private auction. All of this is from a man who hardly saw much financial success in his lifetime.
Jackson Pollock did not profit financially from his art. When he was alive, he never sold a painting for more than $10,000; he was often hard-pressed for cash.
The price of his paintings today shows how important Jackson Pollock continues to be. His work is gaining notoriety but also substantial financial value.
Jackson Pollock – Is An Iconic American Artist
Even though today he is considered an essential American artist, during his lifetime, he found more acceptance and appreciation abroad in Europe than in the USA. In 1949 the French Abstract Artist Georges Mathieu said Jackson Pollock was the “greatest living American artist.”
Yet others criticized his artistic ability and even questioned his art. In 1956, a few months before his death, Time Magazine had an article that belittled him and his art and referred to Jackson Pollock as
“Jack the Dripper.”
Despite his mixed reception during his lifetime, today, history sees Jackson Pollock as one of the greatest American artists. And because of the legacy he has left and the fact he is seen as a great American artist, his paintings continue to rise in value and importance.
Jackson Pollock Developed One Of The Most Radical Abstract Styles
Jackson Pollock was an art creator; he is known for creating the unique style of Abstract Expressionism, particularly the gestural abstraction type of painting.
- Abstract Expressionism style is credited to Jackson Pollock and other artists such as Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning in the 1940s and 1950s. It is a style that has a lot of gestural brush strokes and marking; it is considered a spontaneous style.
- Gestural Abstraction is a way of making art, not a movement. The main point of gestural abstraction is not what gets painted but how it gets painted. Painting is dripped, tossed, smudged, and paint trailed over the canvas. etc. Another name for gestural abstraction is action painting. The idea was that the artist would actively act out his inner impulses and emotions in the painting.
Since then, many painters and artists have built upon Jackson Pollock’s way of painting. In particular, his action painting or gestural abstraction.
Jackson Pollock Saw Himself In His Paintings
Jackson Pollock was a controversial figure. He suffered from alcoholism and was allegedly gay, which was not highly accepted during his lifetime, as he was married.
He was often described as a gentleman when sober but very violent when drunk. The extremes in his personality are also shown in his art.
He died way too young, at age 44, because he was driving a car while also drunk and angry. He was angry with the two younger women in the car as they wanted to go to a party, and he did not. He put his foot on the gas and went too fast around a bend.
Pollock and another woman died in the crash; the other woman survived to write a book about Pollock and how he was supposedly in love with her; that is something we will never know. We know he was a nasty drunk, very paranoid, and in many ways, a confused man who used his art to bring out his pain and sub-conscience.
Pollock believed that art came from the unconscious, so he saw himself as the subject of his paintings. He saw his work as an expression of his emotions and inner self. His art was a product of him acting out the art or the emotions he was feeling.
Listen To Our Podcast About Jackson Pollocks – The Amazing American Painter by clicking here.
He was also known to be inspired by Jungian psychotherapy or the theories of Carl Gustav Jung. It is well known that he was into Jungian psychotherapy; many feel his psychoanalysis treatment led to expressionism and his art.
Even the way he produced his art was unique. He would lay his canvas on the floor and then pour or drip paint onto the canvas in stages. This process resulted in a vast area covered in complex lines and patterns.
Jackson Pollock Influenced Other Important American Art Movements
After Jackson Pollock’s death, many American artists began to look back at him and his art and gain inspiration from it. Pollock’s example allowed artists to begin to fuse art and life.
Art movements such as Pop Art and Op Art and the color field painting looked upon Jackson Pollock’s example and art for inspiration to break from tradition.
For some, Jackson Pollock and his art remain controversial, but we know that today his art continues to sell for millions of dollars. Jackson Pollock takes his place among the most significant American artists ever.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Jackson Pollock?
Jackson Pollock was an influential American painter and a key figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement. He was renowned for his unique style of drip painting.
What is Jackson Pollock most famous for?
Pollock is most famous for his innovative painting technique known as ‘drip painting.’ Instead of using a brush, Pollock would drip or pour paint onto a canvas laid on the ground.
What are some of Jackson Pollock’s most famous works?
Some of his most well-known works include “No. 5, 1948,” “No. 1A, 1948,” and “Autumn Rhythm (Number 30).”
How did Jackson Pollock’s painting style change the art world?
Pollock’s revolutionary “drip” style challenged traditional concepts of painting and representation. His work paved the way for the Abstract Expressionist movement, which emphasized the process of painting and the expression of raw emotion.
What is Abstract Expressionism?
Abstract Expressionism is an art movement characterized by an emphasis on spontaneous, automatic, or subconscious creation. Artists like Pollock aimed to express their inner lives and emotions through their artwork, rather than depicting the external world.
How did Pollock’s personal life influence his art?
Pollock’s art was deeply influenced by his personal struggles with alcoholism and mental health issues. His work is often seen as a form of emotional and psychological expression.
How has Pollock’s work influenced modern art?
Pollock’s revolutionary techniques and approaches to painting have had a significant impact on the field of contemporary art. His focus on the physical act of painting and the use of non-traditional methods continues to inspire artists today.
Why did Jackson Pollock choose to drip or pour paint?
Pollock found that dripping or pouring paint allowed him to have a more direct engagement with the canvas. This technique enabled him to express his emotions more freely and create a sense of energy and movement in his paintings.
Related Questions
Understanding Jackson Pollock’s Paintings And His Art
Understanding that Jackson Pollock has absolute honesty in his paintings, he shows us his great technique and ability to use paint in ways that have never been used before. His paintings are very dimensional, so when you look at them in one way but get up close, you may see another way. He’s not trying to fool us in any way but just saying here, view it as you want to see it.
By clicking here, you can learn more by reading Understanding Jackson Pollock’s Paintings And His Art.
Did They Use An Original Jackson Pollock Painting In Ex Machina Or A Replica?
They would have used a copy of this painting No 5 (1948) as the painting was sold by David Geffen, a Hollywood producer, and film studio executive, for over USD 140 million in 2006. Geffen would have sold the painting long before the movie was produced, and no respectable art collector would place such a valuable work of art on a film set or studio.
By clicking here, you can learn more by reading Did They Use An Original Jackson Pollock Painting In Ex Machina Or A Replica?.
How Much Is The Jackson Pollock Painting Worth In The Movie “The Accountant”?
We do not know precisely how much the Jackson Pollock Free Form painting is worth, but we know that it is owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the painting in the movie The Accountant is a reproduction or copy. We know that similar Jackson Pollock paintings have sold for over $100 million. So we know that Jackson Pollock’s paintings are precious in today’s art market.
By clicking here, you can learn more by reading How Much Is The Jackson Pollock Painting Worth In The Movie “The Accountant”?.
