Jackson Pollock

Born

January 28, 1912

Died

August 11, 1956 (aged 44)

Known as

painter, draftsperson, printmaker

Paul Jackson Pollock was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, he was noted for his "drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a horizontal surface, enabling him to view and paint his canvases from all angles. It was called all-over painting and action painting, because Pollock covered the entire canvas and used the force of his whole body to paint, often in a frenetic dancing style. This extreme form of abstraction divided critics: some praised the immediacy of the creation, while others derided the random effects.

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