an artful artist

Ever since watching the film "Pollock" in highschool, I have been fascinated with the painter, Jackson Pollock. I know that many people will argue that all Pollock did was drip and splatter some paint on a canvas, and that doing so doesn't constitute "real" art. However, what is "real" art? Isn't all art subjective? Isn't art whatever you want it to be? For me, when I look at a Pollock painting, it's not about what I'm looking at, it's about the feeling that I get from the painting.



Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist)

In fact, I think that evoking a feeling from viewers was what Pollock was going for. Pollock started by naming his paintings, but then decided to simply start numbering them. He wanted to end the viewer's search for representational elements in his paintings, and to "look passively and try to receive what the painting has to offer and not bring a subject matter or preconceived idea of what they are to be looking for."

The feeling that I get from my favourite Pollock piece is warmth and security; whenever I look at it I feel like I'm laying on a warm, sandy beach in the middle of summer.  That's the feeling that I'm getting today, anyway.  Tomorrow, or next year, the feeling might be totally different.

Right now, our tiny apartment doesn't have much art; the things on our walls are wedding photographs, prints from Ikea (I think everybody has at least one), and Hubby's commissioning scroll.  However, as we grow older, I look forward to collecting some original art pieces for our home; even though we'll never be able to afford a Pollock doensn't mean we can't enjoy the beauty of other art.