Explosion! Pollock Legacy at the Miró Foundation in Barcelona

 

The exhibition tries to show the influences that Pollock, unconsciously, created through action painting, since it opened a large field of possibilities inside conceptual art and performance. This experimental attitude, where the importance lies in creative art and in the painting that results from this action, was to have a large impact in the 40s and 60s. And so, in this exhibition, not only can you find works by Jackson Pollock, but also from other artists such as  Yves Klein, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Allan Kaprow, Andy Warhol, Lynda Benglis, Saburo Murakami, Bruce Nauman, John Baldessari, and Paul McCarthy among others, thus offering a broad view of this 20th century artistic style.

Let´s remember though what action painting is and which were the most-used techniques by Pollock.

In action painting, the canvas goes on the floor, according to the artist, since the painting cannot be made on the easel because it needs a hard surface, like the floor, so that the artist can walk around the work or even introduce themselves into it (like sand painting in western Indian tribes). The way of painting is with powerful strokes and quick movements, to the point of making it in an automaton-like way. By automatism we understand the dramatic and unstoppable representation of the subconscious, just like the surrealists used to do it.

This type of representation is known as abstract exprressionism, from which Jackson Pollock was the main representative, developing a new technique called dripping. Dripping is the use of paint in all of its purity and dynamism. How? By perforating all the tins of paint at the bottom and letting them drip on the canvas, thus creating a complete atmosphere without leaving any spaces to be covered (this is called all over). That´s why he was known as Jack The Dripper.

It´s important to know about the techniques that Pollock poses to understand his subsequent influence in the world of art and performance. Arising emotions, transgressing the norm, being a catalyzer, showing the power of chance and the subconscious, detaching one self, experimenting… all of these characteristics define the art of Jackson Polloc and the artists that followed him will adopt them in their creative works.

It´s a unique and unrepeatable exhibition that you can´t miss at the Miró Foundation in Barcelona. You never know when you will be able to come face to face with a Pollock again and feel that incontrolable strength with which he painted his paintings, that splash of colour, matter and movement that despite looking like chaos, has order in itself.

If you want more information, enter the Miró Foundation website: http://www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org/exposicio.php?idioma=6&exposicio=4596