In this article, you will find a selection of Jackson Pollock quotes, one of the most influential painters of the 20th century.
In the world of art, there are few names more recognizable than Jackson Pollock. An American painter who was a leading figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock is known for his unique style that involved dripping, pouring, and splattering paint onto canvas. His work has influenced countless artists and continues to be popular today.
Short Biography of Jackson Pollock
Born in Cody, Wyoming, in 1912, Paul Jackson Pollock grew up in a family of artists. His mother was a painter and his father was an archaeologist. He grew up in Arizona and California, and studied at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the New York School of Design. In 1936, he moved to New York City, where he began working as an artist.
His style, known as “drip painting,” involved pouring or dripping paint onto a canvas. Pollock’s work helped to revolutionize the art world and establish him as a major figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement. During his career, Pollock produced numerous famous paintings, including “Number 1” (1948), “Autumn Rhythm” (1950), and “The Deep” (1953).
While Pollock is best known for his paintings, he was also a talented quote-maker. Jackson Pollock quotes provide insights into his creative process and philosophy about art. Here are some of the most memorable Jackson Pollock quotes:
Inspirational Jackson Pollock Quotes
Few artists are as synonymous with abstract expressionism as Jackson Pollock. His innovative drip paintings forever changed the art world and his legacy continues to influence artists today. If you’re feeling stuck creatively, check out some Jackson Pollock quotes to spark your imagination.
“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people are working.”
This quote is a reminder that even if what you’re creating isn’t your best work, the process of creating is still valuable. Keep working and something good will come of it.
“When I’m painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing. It’s only after a get acquainted period that I see what I’ve been about. I’ve no fears about making changes for the painting has a life of its own.”
“It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well.”
“I want to express my feeling rather than illustrations of facts.”
“Every good artist paints what he is.”
“The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.”
This quote reminds us that once we create something, it takes on a life of its own. It’s no longer just ours – it belongs to the world. Let go of your attachment to it and see what others make of it.
“I don’t work from drawings. I don’t make sketches and drawings prior to beginning a painting. I just sort of get an idea and then jump in.”
“It is often necessary to destroy one’s self in order to find out what one really is.”
“My work is based on the unconscious, or rather on the intuition.”
“I don’t paint nature. I am nature.”
Jackson Pollock Quotes about His Art
Jackson Pollock was known for his unique style of drip painting. His paintings are characterized by their chaotic and unstructured appearance, which he achieved by pouring or dripping paint onto the canvas. This technique became known as “action painting.” Here are some inspiring Jackson Pollock quotes on painting:
“I’m very representational some of the time, and a little all of the time. But when you’re painting out of your unconscious, figures are bound to emerge.”
“My painting does not come from the easel.”
“My paintings do not have a center, but depend on the same amount of interest throughout.”
“I hardly ever stretch the canvas before painting.”
“On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting.”
“Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn’t have any beginning or any end. He didn’t mean it as a compliment, but it was.”
“The pictures I contemplate painting would constitute a halfway state and attempt to point out the direction of the future – without arriving there completely.”
“When I am painting, I have a general notion as to what I am about. I can control the flow of paint: there is no accident.”
“The process is only a means to an end-creating the painting I want. It doesn’t mean anything itself. It’s only a way of creating a result.”
“If people would just look at the paintings, I don’t think they would have any trouble enjoying them. It’s like looking at a bed of flowers, you don’t tear your hair out over what it means.”
Famous Jackson Pollock Quotes
A painter who helped pioneer the Abstract Expressionist movement, Pollock’s work was characterized by its boldness and energy. Check out some Jackson Pollock quotes that will inspire your own art:
“The modern artist is working with space and time, and expressing his feelings rather than illustrating.”
“When I say artist, I mean the man who is building things – creating molding the earth – whether it be the plains of the west – or the iron ore of Penn. It’s all a big game of construction – some with a brush – some with a shovel – some choose a pen.”
“The modern artist is working and expressing an inner world – in other words – expressing the energy, the motion, and other inner forces.”
“It [abstract art] should be enjoyed just as music is enjoyed after a while you may like it or you may not.”
“The strangeness will wear off and I think we will discover the deeper meanings in modern art.”
“As to what I would like to be, it is difficult to say. An artist of some kind. If nothing else I shall always study the arts.”
“The modern artist is working with space and time and expressing his feelings rather than illustrating.”
“Modern art to me is nothing more than the expression of contemporary aims of the age that we’re living in.”
“New needs need new techniques. And the modern artists have found new ways and new means of making their statements…the modern painter cannot express this age, the airplane, the atom bomb, the radio, in the old forms of the Renaissance or of any other past culture.”
“My opinion is that new needs need new techniques. And the modern artists have found new ways and new means of making their statements.”
Jackson Pollock Quotes about Painting
One of the things that made Pollock’s paintings so successful was his ability to let go and trust his instincts while he was working. He once famously said, “I don’t use sketches much anymore because I don’t have to. Things just come out of my head.” If you’re looking to develop your own painting style, studying another Jackson Pollock quotes is a great place to start.
“When I am in my painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing.”
“He drove his kind of realism at me so hard I bounced right into non-objective painting.”
“I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own.”
“Painting is no problem. The problem is what to do when you’re not painting.”
“Well, painting today certainly seems very vibrant, very alive, very exiting. Five or six of my contemporaries around New York are doing very vital work, and the direction that painting seems to be taken here – is – away from the easel – into some sort, some kind of wall, wall painting.”
“I don’t work from drawings. I don’t make sketches and drawings and color sketches into a final painting.”
“Today painters do not have to go to a subject matter outside of themselves. Most modern painters work from a different source. They work from within.”
“I continue to get further away from the usual painter’s tools such as easel, palette, brushes, etc.”
“It doesn’t make much difference how the paint is put on as long as something has been said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.”
“I approach painting in the same sense as one approaches drawing, that is, it’s direct.”
Jackson Pollock Quotes
Check out some of the best Jackson Pollock quotes that will make you appreciate his work even more:
“I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them.”
This quote speaks to the heart of what he was trying to do with his paintings. He wasn’t trying to create pretty pictures; he was trying to create something that would evoke emotions in the viewer. So, next time you’re looking at a piece of art, don’t just focus on what you see.
“The secret of success is to be fully awake to everything about you.”
“There is no accident, just as there is no beginning and no end.”
“A canvas is an arena in which to act.”
“You can’t learn techniques and then try to become a painter. Techniques are a result.”
For Pollock, techniques were something that came about as a result of his process, not something that he set out to learn. He believed that true painting came from within and that technique was simply a means to an end. This philosophy has been influential for many artists who have followed in Pollock’s footsteps.
“A real friend is someone you say a sentence to and they know ten thousand words behind that sentence.”
“The painter locks himself out of his own studio. And then has to break in like a thief.”
“On the floor I am more at ease.”
“I am doubtful of any talent, so whatever I choose to be, will be accomplished only by long study and work.”
“All cultures have had means and techniques of expressing their immediate aims – the Chinese, the Renaissance, all cultures. The thing that interests me is that today painters do not have to go to a subject matter outside of themselves.”
Final Thought
Jackson Pollock quotes reveal his deep understanding of the creative process, as well as his passion for art. His words provide a glimpse into the mind of a genius and inspire others to be creative and to think outside the box.
So, the next time you are feeling stuck in a rut, remember the words of Jackson Pollock and let them guide you to your own artistic breakthrough.
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