Pollock

Painting as a concept

A tragic icon of Abstract Expressionism, Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) took influences from Picasso and Mexican surrealism and developed his own way of seeing, interpreting, and expressing. Though his name inevitably conjures up images of the drip paintings for which he is most famous, this technique was only developed midway through his career. The progression from his earlier work to his final "action" paintings — a veritable revolution of painting as a concept — reveals the genius of this tortured artist whom many call the greatest modern American painter.

About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art Series features:

- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions

The author:
Leonhard Emmerling received his doctorate from the University of Heidelberg for a thesis entitled 'Kunsttheorie Jean Dubuffets'. Since 2002 he has been working as an author and contemporary art exhibition curator in Berlin, Kaiserslautern, Krefeld and Ludwigsburg, Germany. His publications include TASCHEN’s Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock.