JACKSON POLLOCK
Name: Paul Jackson Pollock
Born: 28 January 1912 Cody, Wyoming
Died: 11 August 1956 Springs, New York
Paul Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 - August 11, 1956) was an influential
American painter and a major force in the abstract expressionist movement. He
was married to noted abstract painter Lee Krasner.
Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912, the youngest of five sons.
His father was a farmer and later a land surveyor for the government. He grew
up in Arizona and Chico, California, studying at Los Angeles' Manual Arts High
School. During his early life, he experienced Indian culture while on surveying
trips with his father. In 1929, following his brother Charles, he moved to
New York City, where they both studied under Thomas Hart Benton at the Art
Students League of New York. Benton's rural American subject matter shaped
Pollock's work only fleetingly, but his rhythmic use of paint and his fierce
independence were more lasting influences. From 1938 to 1942, he worked for
the Federal Art Project.
Pollock did not paint at all in 1955. After struggling with alcoholism his
whole life, Pollock's career was cut short when he died in an alcohol-related,
single car crash in his Oldsmobile convertible, less than a mile from his home
in Springs, New York on August 11, 1956 at the age of 44. One of his passengers,
Edith Metzger, died, while the other passenger, Pollock's girlfriend Ruth
Kligman, survived. After his death, Pollock's wife, Lee Krasner, managed his
estate and ensured that Pollock's reputation remained strong in spite of
changing art-world trends. They are buried in Green River Cemetery in Springs
with a large boulder marking his grave and a smaller one marking hers.
Name: Paul Jackson Pollock
Born: 28 January 1912 Cody, Wyoming
Died: 11 August 1956 Springs, New York
Paul Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 - August 11, 1956) was an influential
American painter and a major force in the abstract expressionist movement. He
was married to noted abstract painter Lee Krasner.
Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912, the youngest of five sons.
His father was a farmer and later a land surveyor for the government. He grew
up in Arizona and Chico, California, studying at Los Angeles' Manual Arts High
School. During his early life, he experienced Indian culture while on surveying
trips with his father. In 1929, following his brother Charles, he moved to
New York City, where they both studied under Thomas Hart Benton at the Art
Students League of New York. Benton's rural American subject matter shaped
Pollock's work only fleetingly, but his rhythmic use of paint and his fierce
independence were more lasting influences. From 1938 to 1942, he worked for
the Federal Art Project.
Pollock did not paint at all in 1955. After struggling with alcoholism his
whole life, Pollock's career was cut short when he died in an alcohol-related,
single car crash in his Oldsmobile convertible, less than a mile from his home
in Springs, New York on August 11, 1956 at the age of 44. One of his passengers,
Edith Metzger, died, while the other passenger, Pollock's girlfriend Ruth
Kligman, survived. After his death, Pollock's wife, Lee Krasner, managed his
estate and ensured that Pollock's reputation remained strong in spite of
changing art-world trends. They are buried in Green River Cemetery in Springs
with a large boulder marking his grave and a smaller one marking hers.