Jackson Pollock

By Frank O’Hara

This slim, but richly illustrated, biography of Jackson Pollock has stood the test of time since its first publication in 1959. Still a sound, but laudatory, study of all of Pollock’s periods; which are weighed and appreciated in chronological order. Frank O’Hara was a well-known and universally respected poet who was an integral part of the New York artistic scene until his death in 1966.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Golden Springs Publishing
• Release date: Nov 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781786254528

Frank O’Hara

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This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

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Text originally published in 1959 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2015, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

JACKSON POLLOCK

BY

FRANK O’HARA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 5

JACKSON POLLOCK 7

The Early Works 7

The Mexicans 9

Surrealism 9

Arshile Gorky 10

Male And Female, 1942 10

Pasiphaë and others 12

Added 12

Gothic, 1944 (plate 17) 13

Totemism 13

Action Painting 13

1947 to 1950 14

Digression on Number 1, 1948 (plate 32) 15

Scale, Size And Violence 17

Black And White 19

The Last Period 19

CHRONOLOGY 106

1912 106

1925-29 106

1929-31 106

1938-42 106

1943-47 107

1947-50 107

1951-56 108

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 109

PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS 111

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 112

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THROUGH THE YEARS of my acquaintance with Pollock’s work I have absorbed, consciously and unconsciously, many of the insights of artists and friends, a debt which is difficult to acknowledge. I would like, however, to thank those whose help in assembling the present material on Pollock and his work, whether through conversation or critical writings, directly or indirectly, has been so great: Mrs. Lee Krasner Pollock, Clement Greenberg, Harold Rosenberg, James Schuyler, Robert Motherwell, Sam Hunter and Thomas B. Hess, to name only a few. It is to Grace Hartigan that I owe an awareness of certain aspects of Pollock’s genius, and to Larry Rivers a particular appreciation of the beauties of Number 29, 1950.

The brief chronology is based on those prepared by Sam Hunter for the catalog of the exhibition he directed at the Museum of Modern Art and by Clement Greenberg for Evergreen Review. The bibliography is based on material organized by Bernard Karpel, librarian of the Museum of Modern Art, for European catalogs of the exhibition of Pollock’s work circulated in Europe by the Museum’s International Program.

Our thanks go also to the many public and private collections through whose kind cooperation we have been able to reproduce the works included in this book.

F. O’H.

Photograph by Hans Namuth

JACKSON POLLOCK

"Art is full of things that everyone knows about, of generally acknowledged truths. Although everyone is free to use them, the generally accepted principles have to wait a long time before they find an application. A generally acknowledged truth must wait for a rare piece of luck, a piece of luck that smiles upon it only once in a hundred years, before it can find application. Such a piece of luck was Scriabin. Just as Dostoievsky is not only a novelist and just as Blok is not only a poet, so Scriabin is not only

Reviews for Jackson Pollock

[danielstj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great primer for a quick lesson on the significance, and a brief synopsis, of Pollock's reign as an artists and some very fine criticism written eloquently, delicately, and fascinatingly. This is a book to behold for all of those interested in art. I really liked the way that this was done. Viewing all the paintings, in sequence with how they are mentioned, allows your brain to soak up the artistic theory and articulation like a sponge. A great read, recommended!4.5 stars!