Comparing Frida And Pollock

Jackson Pollock was a legendary, novel, abstract expressionist who has created numerous paintings through his drip-style, action painting technique (Goodnough, 2012). Theosophical influence arose from Phillip Guston and Thomas Hart Benton, while in the early stages of the artist’s life. Muralists, such as Jose Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera were also admired and studied by Pollock. He was captivated by the unorthodox techniques of David Alfaro Siqueiros which contributed to the abstract style of Jackson Pollock (Solomon, 1987).

Frida Kahlo’s “The Two Fridas” is a manifestation of heartbreak, inner human pain, rejection of colonialism, and emotional journey. An oil on canvas made in 1939 in the midst of Frida Kahlo’s divorce from Diego Rivera, this painting embodied Frida Kahlo’s progression at this time in her life, dealing with what she is and what she wishes to be; as well as setting out how she wishes to do it. An ode to melancholy and overcoming adversity, “The Two Fridas” is a universal, eternal reminder of human capability.

Cassatt created a revelation of family life in her paintings. As described in the article, “only a woman can pose a child, dress it, adjust pins without pricking themselves.. this is family life painted with distinction and love” (288). Through this statement, Pollock is describing Cassatt’s ability to recreate charming characterizations through her subject of self discovery. She had the ability to recreate reality into her paintings, avoiding sexual differentiation and creating a sense of equality. Cassatt’s unique

Men are supposed to act strong and emotionless, a historical expectation in American society. Post- World War II fear and alienation haunted American men (Perchuk 1995:35). Pollock’s method to alleviate fear through his paintings is the response to the historical happenings during World War II. The war mentality decreased masculinity as the men were able express “weak” emotions.

A second characteristic Pollock had of a secular hero is that he was able to achieve individual fulfillment. Being the oldest of five boys Pollock he saw painting as “A natural growth of need … I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them” (3:22). Although his individual fulfillment did not derive from domesticity or capitalist, his fulfillment derived from his own agency: a quality needed in a secular

When Pollock was witnessed painting, people would refer to him as ‘dancing across the canvas’. Each painting was like a dance routine and he let the painting guide his hand around and around in circles until it was completed. Pollock did not like for his audience to be able to identify any trace of academic artistic quality. He was even notorious for signing his paintings by pressing the palm of his hand down onto the wet paint. It was efficient for him, especially since in his ‘drip’ paintings he would never lift a brush. What this did to his work then was no longer did he display a replica of a scene or person like most landscape and portrait artists, but instead he displayed his fluent motion.

Frida Kahlo was best known for her reflective self-portraits that defined the tragedies she'd endured. Explaining her affection for the style, Kahlo said, "I paint myself because I am so often alone, because I am the subject I know best.” Kahlo contracted Polio at the age of six which left her with a deformed foot, she was also Bed-bound while recovering from a grisly streetcar accident. Kahlo under went over 30 operations throughout her life; and over the years she painted a portrait of herself whenever she was troubled.

4. Frida Kahlo essentially became an international cultural icon, honored by many people, especially in Mexico. Her artwork withholds visual symbolism of all kinds of emotional and physical pain and most importantly she incorporated indigenous culture and her depiction of the female experience. Including illustrating the feelings of death, loneliness, pain, including the pain of miscarriages, failed marriage, and the aftermath of tragic accidents. Through her imagery, she was able to portray her life experiences. She would include specific elements that symbolized something greater. Throughout the process of analyzing all different aspects of Frida Kahlo’s paintings, it provided a deeper understanding to each painting.

Throughout the time mankind has embarked on the journey of self-discovery by using art to activate the subconscious and mirror our souls. Many artists in their lifelong quest for self-realization, have effectively harnessed their rich creative processes to reflect and reveal not only parts of themselves, but also the world around them. American artist Jackson Pollock embarked on his own journey of self-discovery. Through the exploration of his unconscious mind he allowed his strong emotions to flow freely from deep within himself onto his paintings. Pollock expressed his inner energy in his iconic drip paintings, which were created by embracing new, radical techniques of dripping and pouring paint directly onto huge canvases laid down on the

Throughout her career, Frida had shown many different themes of her life through her paintings. It seems clear, through analyzation of her paintings, that Frida lived something of a double life. Frida paints herself in distinctly different ways at times, sometimes she is a beautiful woman with strength like iron, and sometimes she is a frail damsel who has been broken already and will be broken again. Contrasting paintings include Self Portrait with Monkeys (Kahlo, 1) and Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Diego and I (Kahlo, 1) and The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Me, Diego, and Mr. Xolotl (Kahlo, 1). All of these paintings show that not only is there a contrast in her personality, in fact, Frida’s is actually two different people, as she paints it.

For this exploration into Pollock, the American character will be looked at through the lens of one of the five myths: the frontier myth. Through a study of his upbringing and his works it becomes evident that Jackson Pollock’s popularity can be attributed to his use, whether deliberate or not, of the ideology

Taking following extreme cases of abstraction, when speaking of Pollock’s work such as his ”Autumn Rhythm” (1950), we realize how the visual formed is fully based on science and gravity that permits the dripping and pouring of the paint on the horizontal canvas. But, by walking around/on the canvas we can argue Greenberg’s analysis and suppose that the painter possibly connects with it, he gets drowned in the act and merges inside the painting while mechanically pouring paint on the canvas. This means that even though the painter tries to focus on the flatness of the painting rather than the content and is physically detached from the canvas, this focus cannot erase an emotional

Pollock began doing all of his works in a completely abstract manner in the mid 1940s. But, after 1947 is when Pollock's most recognizable abstract works would be produced. This is when he began placing large canvases on the floor and creating his famous abstract works. On these large canvases, he started to use his "drip" technique, which was first shown to him by Siqueiro. These drip paintings were first shown in 1948. They are said to reflect both ecstasy and anxiety. After they were introduced to the world, a critic actually characterized Pollock as "Jack the Dripper". These works captivated and scared his future wife, Lee Krasner, a painter herself.

Frida's artwork has always interested me in many ways. Her paintings are so much more than self-portraits and surrealism. She illustrates her life and the struggles she goes through, even if most would like to ignore the darker aspects of life. The theme of suffering permeates Frida’s self-portraits and often explicitly comprises their subject matter. She visually depicts physical and psychological struggles through the distortions of her body, which is fragmented, doubled, turned inside-out, and merged with non-human elements. She shows me that I can be strong through life even when I'm hurting physically and emotionally. Frida challenged herself and her

Paul Jackson Pollock who goes by Jackson Pollock was a great artist of his time. He was talked about a lot in these two chapters. His greatness lies in developing one of the most radical abstract styles in the history of modern art. I did read that Pollock's legacy was felt most by other painters. And again from what I read his work brought together elements of Cubism, Surrealism, and Impressionism, which he transcended them all. One of his most important art works was Autumn Rhythm: Number 30 (1950).