One: Number 31, 1950, by Jackson Pollock, oil and enamel paint on canvas, 270 × 531 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
He said: ‘On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more a part of the painting since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting.’
One: Number 31
A landmark in the history of Abstract Expressionism, One: Number 31 is one of Pollock’s largest and most famous works (Fig. 16.4). It was one of three wall- sized paintings produced in quick succession in 1950.
Pollock’s skill and technical prowess can be seen in the looping cords of colour that animate and energise every part of the composition. Despite its enormous size, it appears to expand even more in the eyes of the viewer.
Lee Krasner Lee Krasner met Jackson Pollock in 1936 and became an important influence on his career. They supported each other during a period when neither’s work was well appreciated. They married in 1945.
Krasner painted abstractly but rejected the idea that her work had no content. She ‘wouldn’t dream’ she said of creating a painting from a fully abstract idea.
She was a central figure of Abstract Expressionism but had problems both as a woman artist and as the wife of Pollock. As late as 1958, she was referred to as ‘Mrs Jackson Pollock’. It was even noted in one publication that was she was ‘primarily a housewife’.
Figure 16.5 Gaea, 1966, by Lee Krasner, oil on canvas, 175 × 319 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
