Blue Poles, by Jackson Pollock

A typical example of his “Abstract Expressionism” in which the paint is up to half an inch thick

Jackson Pollock (1912–56) grew up in Arizona and California, studying at the Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles from 1928. As well as learning about art he was also introduced to various spiritual and psychological concepts including Theosophy, Jung’s analytical psychology and Surrealist automatism.

He led a hand-to-mouth existence for many years and became involved in the Federal Arts Project which was introduced as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. While undergoing treatment for alcoholism in 1938 he discovered the therapeutic benefits of drawing and its value in exploring the unconscious through the revelation of symbols. This gradually developed into a form of Abstract Expressionism, in which the pouring of paint directly on to canvas releases the artist’s inner tensions.

Pollock produced many such works between 1947 and 1952, “Blue Poles” being an excellent late example. Pollock was not keen on giving names to paintings, and “Blue Poles” was originally known as “Number 11, 1952”.

Pollock’s technique was to spread a length of unprimed canvas on the studio floor and tack it down. The canvas could be very large, although it was sometimes trimmed…