John Tung Pollock No.5

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SAMPLE ASSESSMENT FORM: Level 1 Arts ManagementProgramme(WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT)

To be completed by Examiner.Student Name:TUNG ZHIWEN JOHN

Programme: Arts Management

Student ID Number:11511

Module/ Component: AM 1101 (History of VisualArts)

Title of Assessed Work:Pollock’s No.5, 1948 Learning Outcomes:

o an understanding of the historical and contemporary context of the arts and its definitions;

with knowledge of music, theatre, dance and visual arts history across different periods andregions.

o a working vocabulary of artistic and management terminology.

o the ability to find, select and use information on visual materials in their historical contexts.

o the knowledge and understanding of self-awareness, openness and sensitivity to diversity in

terms of people and cultures.

Deadline: 29 October 2009 Submission Date:

Weightage: Total Marks (100%)

Examiner’s Name: Jeffrey Say

Criteria (based on assignment brief) %Mark/100

Mark(%)

Remarks

Content and strucrure:Research evidence, use of written andvisual sources, relevance, structureand flow of information,introduction/conclusion

50

Style and languageClarity, grammar, language andspelling

30

ReferencingFootnoting, bibliography 10

PresentationQuality of visuals, layout, formatting 10

Attendance & ParticipationBonus for regular attendance + activeclass participation (Up to a maximumof 5 marks) To be considered at the end of the

semester/year

TOTAL

Please underline where appropriate:

Irregular Attendance below 70%/ Late Submissions/ Resubmission

(If any of the above has been underlined, the maximum mark for the assignment will be capped at 40marks)

All marks are provisional and subject to confirmation by the examination board

Signature: Date:

Verified by Programme Coordinator/Manager(Name/ Signature)



would be a series of paintings bearing his signature “pour

technique”. His unique style of painting would later on lead to his

moniker – Jack the Dripper.2

Pollock can be considered one of the most influential and

controversial artists of the 20th century with his paintings as iconic

as his fits of rage and alcoholism. His struggles with alcoholism and

troubled marriage to Lee Krasner would lead to psychoanalysis by

Jungian psychiatrists. Being familiar with the writings of Jung as well,

Pollock is believed to have incorporated Carl Jung’s philosophy into

his paintings. Famed for saying “the problem isn’t painting; it’s what

to do when you aren’t painting,”3 Pollock died as a result of an

alcohol related driving accident on the 11th of August 1956.

The painting in question, No. 5 , 1948, was a composition of

oil, enamel and aluminum paints on a fiber board. The size of the

image can be considered immense in size though he had paintings

of even larger scales. The painting bears base layers of black and

grays followed by fine lines of white drizzled over the fiberboard.

The lines of brown applied and finally fine trails of yellow that stand

out strongly from the background of earthy colours. The application

of layer upon layer of paint creates a sense of depth and volume in

the painting. Furthermore, by covering the fiber board to ensure no

identifiable parts or points of emphasis, Pollock’s name became

2 "2." Monday, Feb. 20,

1956.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,808194-2,00.html (accessed

29/10/09).3 http://www.jackson-pollock.com/biography2.html (accessed 29/10/09).



synonymous with the introduction of the All-over style of painting.4

This broke Pollock away from traditional ideas on composition and

relation between parts in a painting.

Like his other post-1947 works, Pollock used a combination of

his pour technique in combination with his style of action painting so

as to create No. 5 , 1948. To do so, Pollock would first lay out the

fiber board on the floor of his studio before he begun to drip and

splash paint upon it. To Pollock, this “method of painting was a

natural growth out of need” arising from his desire to “express his

feelings rather than to illustrate them.”5 Pollock felt that changing

times required the emergence of new techniques to encapsulate

accurately the spirit of the contemporary times. Furthermore, by

laying the board on the ground, his motion was less restricted,

allowing him to work from all sides and hence, incorporate himself

better into the painting.

While this style of painting was remarkably received by the

press6 due to the challenge it posed towards traditional perceptions

of painting, not all were pleased with Pollock’s style. Bruno Alfieri

made the following statement about Pollock’s works in general:

“chaos/absolute lack of harmony/complete lack of structural

organization/total absence of technique, however rudimentary/once

again, chaos.”7

4 Wyo, Cody. http://www.jacksonpollock.com/bio.shtml (accessed 29/10/09).5 Narration spoken by Jackson Pollock. Namuth, Hans. Pollock Painting .

1951.6 Alfieri,Bruno. Jackson Pollock: The Irascibles and the New York School . Skira , 20027 Naifeh,Steven. Jackson Pollock: An American Saga. 3 ed. Woodward/White,



Yet despite Alfieri’s condemnation of Pollock’s work deeming it

chaos, studies by physicians Taylor, Micolich and Jonas from the

University of New South Wales Australia have determined that the

chaos as perceived by Alfieri was created with mathematical

precision. While the study of chaos theory in mathematics emerged

only more than ten years after the death of Pollock, exploration into

the nature of Pollock’s work has determined that some of the works

displayed properties of mathematical fractals – in short, breaking

down nature’s very own blueprint and using it as a basis to create

his own art – Fig 1.

Fig 1.(Left) Section of snow on ground (Centre) Section of forest (Right) Section of Pollock’s One: Number 31, 1950

As seen in figure one, the similarities are astounding. The same

is also true for the prized No. 5, 1948. Studies have shown that

Pollock’s work progressively becomes more fractal-like along with

Pollock’s career. To assume Pollock’s awareness of chaotic motion

Incorporated, 1998.



may not be far fetched at all. 8 9

To Pollock, the process of painting was as crucial in its artistry as

was the end product. His style of action painting was crucial in

depicting the subconscious and bring the conscious mind to

awareness of how it is shaped – a goal of Jungian analysis. Pollock

was also believed to have incorporated various visual symbols

indentified by Jung which are thought to connect individuals in

accordance to Jung’s principle of the “collective unconscious”. Since

Jung believed that the primitive man was more connected to this

“collective unconscious” as compared to the “civilized” man, the

style of action painting in which Pollock moves around the canvas is

reminiscent of Native American sand painting traditions where sand

is trickled in thin lines to make a design on a horizontal surface.

Hence from here it can be established that while Pollock’s work may

have no meaning as a stand-alone, his manipulation of Jung’s

symbols to be incorporated into his art may have been a mode in

which Pollock was attempting to understand himself in a Jungian

way.10

This is further substantiated by the fact that Pollack himself did

not label any of his techniques and styles himself. In fact, the term

8 Taylor, Richard. "Fractal Expressionism Can Science Be Used To Further Our

Understanding Of Art? Physics World (1999),

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/phys_about/PHYSICS!/FRACTAL_EXPRESSIONIS

M/fractal_taylor.html. (accessed October 28, 2009).9 Sept. 14,

2008.http://www.gogeometry.com/wonder_world/golden_rectangle_jackson_pollock

_5_1948.html (accessed 29/10/09).10 Mathews, Hans V.. "Pollock In Perspective Frontline 16. 14 (1999),

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1614/16140700.htm. (accessed October 28, 2009).



“action painting” was coined by American art critic Harold

Rosenberg in 1952.11 Pollack himself had said, “It doesn’t make

much difference how the paint is put on as long as something has

been said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.”12

When Ossorio first received the painting he noticed that a 6-by-

9-inch portion of the painting had slid leaving what was described

by Ossorio as a “non-descript smear amidst the surrounding linear

clarity.” The work was returned to Pollack for repair and when

Ossorio saw it once more three weeks later, he found “new qualities

of richness and depth… a result of thorough but subtle over-

painting.” Pollack’s careful reconstruction of the painting had not

only left the original concept entirely intact but re-affirmed it with

greater complexity and “linear interplay”. Furthermore, in complete

contradiction to the sentiments of Alfieri, Ossorio dubbed the work

“a masterful display of control and disciplined vision.”13

Yet, Ossorio’s statement pertaining to the touchup being “a

wonderful example of an artist having a second chance”14 may be

considered inaccurate according to Harold Rosenberg’s definition of

the genre. Ossorio failed to realize that his purchase was merely the

by-product of Pollack’s art which is the very action of painting No. 5,

1948 itself rather than the completed artwork. In light of this,

Pollack’s touch up of the piece may be viewed as solely to please

11 Rosenberg,Harold. The Tradition of the New. New York: Horizon Press, 195912 "The Technique of Action Painting in Jackson Pollock Paintings."

http://www.jackson-pollock.com/action-painting.html (accessed 28/10/09).13 Mancusi-Ungaro, Carol C.. Jackson Pollock: Response As Dialogue.14 Potter, Jeffrey. To A Violent Grave: An Oral Biography of Jackson Pollock . New

York: G.P. Puntnam's Sons, 1985.



the buyer. Rosenberg would spend the next two decades redefining

the art as an act as opposed to an object. 15

Since the sale of No. 5, 1948 to Ossorio in 1948, the painting has

passed through many a different collector/museum including

Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr., an esteemed publishing morgul, the

Museum of Modern Art, amongst others. The most recent

transaction of the painting is believed to be between David Geffen,

founder of Geffen Records and David Martinez, a Mexican financier.

While the deal was believed to be brokered by Sotheby’s auctioneer

Tobias Meyer for $140 million dollars to Martinez, Martinez claims

no ownership of the painting presently. Yet while the present owner

of the painting remains a mystery, should this deal be factual,

Pollack’s No. 5, 1948 would be at present the world’s most

expensive painting overtaking Gustav Klimt’s Adele Bloch-Bauer I

which was sold at a price of $135 million.16

It is thus evident that the understanding and appreciation of

Jackson Pollock’s work has increased greatly over time and even

though the works of the abstract expressionist painter may still hold

mysteries to be solved, continued study into his artworks would

shed greater light on the human condition.

15 "2." Monday, Feb. 20,


29/10/09).16 Vogel, Carol. "A Pollock Is Sold, Possibly for a Record Price." New York Times.

Available from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/arts/design/02drip.html?

_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=arts&adxnnlx=1163031599-revbGMuaIhdTP4qLonq8BA.

Internet; accessed 28 October 2009.



Works Cited

Jackson Pollock: Key Interviews, Articles and Reviews. New York: The Museum Of

Modern Art, 1999.

"2." Monday, Feb. 20,


29/10/09).

http://www.jackson-pollock.com/biography2.html (accessed 29/10/09).

Wyo, Cody. http://www.jacksonpollock.com/bio.shtml (accessed 29/10/09).

Narration spoken by Jackson Pollock. Namuth, Hans. Pollock Painting . 1951.

Alfieri,Bruno. Jackson Pollock: The Irascibles and the New York School . Skira , 2002

Naifeh,Steven. Jackson Pollock: An American Saga. 3 ed. Woodward/White,

Incorporated, 1998.

Taylor, Richard. "Fractal Expressionism Can Science Be Used To Further Our



Understanding Of Art? Physics World (1999),

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/phys_about/PHYSICS!/FRACTAL_EXPRESSIONIS

M/fractal_taylor.html. (accessed October 28, 2009).

Sept. 14,

2008.http://www.gogeometry.com/wonder_world/golden_rectangle_jackson_pollock _5_1948.html (accessed 29/10/09).

Mathews, Hans V.. "Pollock In Perspective Frontline 16. 14 (1999),

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1614/16140700.htm. (accessed October 28, 2009).

Rosenberg,Harold. The Tradition of the New. New York: Horizon Press, 1959.

"The Technique of Action Painting in Jackson Pollock Paintings."

http://www.jackson-pollock.com/action-painting.html (accessed 28/10/09).

Mancusi-Ungaro, Carol C.. Jackson Pollock: Response As Dialogue.

Potter, Jeffrey. To A Violent Grave: An Oral Biography of Jackson Pollock . New

York: G.P. Puntnam's Sons, 1985.

"2." Monday, Feb. 20,


29/10/09).

Vogel, Carol. "A Pollock Is Sold, Possibly for a Record Price." New York Times.

Available from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/arts/design/02drip.html?

_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=arts&adxnnlx=1163031599-revbGMuaIhdTP4qLonq8BA.

Internet; accessed 28 October 2009.



Index of Images

1.



No. 5, 1948 Jackson Pollock(1948)Oil, Enamel and Aluminum Paint on Fiber board

2.



Full Fathom Five Jackson Pollock(1947)First painting to utilize pour technique.Oil on canvas with nails, tacks, buttons, coins, cigarettes, etc

John Tung Pollock No.5

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