Pollock

After your further reflections on "Pollock" and thoughts on how it relates to "Basquiat," choose a scene from "Pollock" and try analyzing it according to exercise # 2 in your textbook on p. 86 (briefly discussed in class Sept. 8).

“Basquiat” and “Pollock”, as we discussed in class, are similar in their depictions of two talented, but flawed artists. To me they key difference between the two was their depictions of alcohol and drug use, and how they affected the protagonists. In “Basquiat”, drugs served as an inspiration to the artist, creating hallucinogenic states where creativity flowed and new works sprang from thin air. However, in “Pollock”, alcohol served as Pollock’s downfall. His most innovative and creative periods, where he painted his most iconic works, were during his periods of sobriety. When he drank, his life fell apart and his anger consumed him. He drew no inspiration from these bouts of drinking.

I found it intriguing how the film used perspective to frame the artist while he was painting, and create a certain mood. When Pollock was working on his largest piece to date, the mural for Peggy Guggenheim, the camera focused on the immensity and emptiness of the blank canvas. Pollock was shown in front of it, the camera focusing solely on the canvas and the dark outline of the artist in front of it. Then, it moved to focus on Pollock’s face, showing nothing but his intense scrutiny of the canvas, showing him as he is struck with inspiration. Once he picks up his brush, the shots alternate between the canvas being touched by Pollock’s paintbrush and Pollock moving across the room, painting with multiple colors in a fluid motion. The only elements of these shots are the canvas and the artist himself. Pollock moves furiously across the space of the shot, constantly connected to the canvas via his paintbrush. This union, as well as the fact that Pollock and the canvas are the only elements in the shot, help to create the illusion that the artist and the painting are one entity, connected though the artist’s paintbrush.