Julia Lanfersieck- Pollack Post

In class, there were many parallels in the lives of Basquiat and Pollock. We discussed that both artists clearly had some sort of metal illness and were both very dependent on other people, especially women and mistresses. Both films depict these artists as men struggling with issues and substance abuse problems. For Pollock, alcohol was his crutch in a very negative way. Drinking made him unable to be creative whereas Basquiat seemed to strive in his creativity when he was under the influence of drugs. Pollock’s most innovative and creative periods, were when he was sober. He painted is most iconic works during these periods of sobriety. In the end, these addictions that both artists had were their downfall and eventual cause of death. Pollock also gathered inspiration from nature where Basquiat would for example mark a slash on anything and it would then be classified as his art.

The scenes in the film with most significance to me are the scenes in which Pollack is creating his masterpieces. His first major commission was for Peggy Guggenheim. The way the camera shot the process of his creativity really let the viewer understand how Pollack functioned but we were viewing from the outside which is the etic, where as in Basquiat, the camera actually shows us what goes on inside his head which is the emic. The scene shows Pollack first tearing down a wall in his apartment, we see him always doing dramatic movements followed by regression. After his space is set up and his huge canvas is ready for “action,” we see Pollack staring at the canvas and studying it until he realizes what he will paint. I believe that Pollack is picturing what his painting will consist of rather than just going along with whatever happens. Pollack is also known for his constant movements around his paintings, he is almost dancing with the canvas. A similar perspective is shot during Pollack’s infamous drip painting inspiration. The camera focuses on him again studying the canvas and then studying the action that occurs when paint is dripped or splattered. What may have started as an accidental paint drip, then leads to purposeful position paint splatters and drippings. He is clearly not just throwing paint on the canvas; he once again dances with his brush and beautifully moves around his painting. In an interview, he even states “ it seems possible to control the paint, I deny the accidents.” The lack of voice and communication in these scenes, almost forces the viewer to become submersed in his process of painting, which is the point of the entire film.