Paul Jackson Pollock was an American artist who was a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was well known for his unique style of drip painting. He was born on 28 January 1912 in Cody, Wyoming, USA and he died on 11 August 1954 in Springs, NY, USA in an alcohol related car accident.
Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety during his lifetime. Regarded as reclusive he had a volatile personality and struggled with alcoholism for most of his life.
In 1936 he was introduced to liquid paint at an experimental workshop in NYC by Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. He later used paint pouring on canvases in the early 1940s and began painting with his canvases laid out on the studio floor as he developed his “drip” technique which led to his most famous paintings. But, at the peak of his fame Pollock abruptly abandoned the drip style.
Among his notable work was “Number 17A” (1948), “Blue Poles / Number 11 (1952) and “The Deep” (1953).
