Jeff's Met Picks: Pollack

Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)

Jackson Pollock  (American, Cody, Wyoming 1912–1956 East Hampton, New York)

Zoom in on this painting and you will see that although seemingly arbitrary, there is an incredible sense of composition and color Pollack infuses into this very spontaneous work of art. Using splatters and "drip cans" suspended from strings, one can almost see the artist dancing around the canvas. I think of it as a painting of choreography. And as anguished and angry and troubled as Pollack was, I find myself feeling great joy whenever I stand before this. And in the midsts of the fury of the splashes, his muted palette gives me a sense of peace.