An american saga by steven naifeh and gregory white smith is indeed that book. Jackson pollock, an american saga, is also a brief history of american art from the 1920s through the early 50s. In their monumental and impressive biography, jackson pollock. Steven naifeh and gregory white smith galvanized readers with their astonishing jackson pollock. Based on more than 2,000 interviews with 850 people, jackson pollock is the first book to explore the life of a great artist with the psychological depth that marks the best biographies of literary and political figures. We meet such important artists as thomas hart benton, pollocks first teacher at new an exceptionally well researched look into one of the great artists of the 20th century.
Douglas widick jackson pollock music video youtube. An american saga that, not only horses, but other animals of the southwestern united states are also buried depictions in. Jan 25, 2016 according to the rather colorful account of the incident in the pulitzer prizewinning biography, jackson pollock. Pollock is a 2000 american biographical film which tells the life story of american painter jackson pollock. During his lifetime, pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. Smith, gregory white and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The myth of jackson pollock, peggy guggenheim, and the.
An american saga will have been discussed on donahue, on lesser talk shows and on many private telephones. Jackson pollock was more than a great artist, he was a creative force of nature. They will discuss their new book and the similarities between vincent van gogh and jackson pollock, the subject of their pulitzer prizewinning biography jackson pollock. Jackson pollock by steven naifeh overdrive rakuten.
Legacy of jackson pollock the artist jackson pollock was renowned for using nontraditional methods to create very untraditional pieces of art. The life of jackson pollock and his influence on modern art. Steven naifeh based on more than 2,000 interviews with 850 people, jackson pollock is the first book to explore the life of a great artist with the psychological depth that marks the best biographies of literary. Publication date 1989 topics pollock, jackson, 19121956, painters publisher new york, n. An american saga is a 1989 biography of abstract expressionist painter jackson pollock, by steven naifeh and gregory white smith. At the time that he was working and up to the modern historical moment, many people look at a piece by pollock and do not see it as art. Email citation incredibly detailed, dramatic, and full of juicy revelations about pollocks private life, this pulitzer prizewinning biography manages to be both an essential reference and a great read. An american saga by steven naifeh, gregory white smith online at alibris. During his lifetime he received widespread publicity. And what remains sadly american about pollock s saga is the quick flare his work makes against the hopperesque shadow of his life. An american saga, by steven naifeh and gregory white smith, new york. P r gregory white smith, pulitzer prizewinning author of. Jackson pollock was more than a great artist, he was a creative force of natur.
Based on family letters and documents, lengthy interviews with his widow, lee krasner, as well as his psychologists and psychoanalysts, this book explodes the myths surrounding his death in 1956. Comitatu springs novi eboraci 11 augusti 1956, fuit pictor americanus et maior persona in motu expressionismo abstracto. An american saga kindle edition by naifeh, gregory smith steven. It was awarded the 1991 pulitzer prize for biography or autobiography. It was considered wellresearched by publishers weekly and library journal, and inspired ed harris to adapt it to film as pollock in 2000.
In his view, the influence of the school of paris, in particular, that of picasso and miro, needed to be thrown off. What a troubled life, what a talented man, what an amazing period of art history that was. Aug 22, 2017 jackson pollock 19121956 was the founder of the abstract expressionist movement in art. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. January 28, 1912 august 11, 1956 was an american painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement he was widely noticed for his technique of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a horizontal surface drip technique, enabling him to view and paint his canvases from all angles. A centerpiece at the museum of modern art since 1968, jackson pollocks. Inspiration excerpt pollock 2002 ed harris youtube. In addition to writing 18 books with gregory white smith, naifeh is a businessman who founded several companies, including best lawyers that spawned an industry of professional rankings. Jackson pollock s greatness lies in developing one of the most radical abstract styles in the history of modern art, detaching line from color, redefining the categories of drawing and painting, and finding new means to describe pictorial space. And its a terrific story, acknowledges pollock scholar ellen landau.
With his canvas laying flat on the floor, jackson pollock would slosh paint on it in trickles that would dribble, disguising the beginning or focus point, and leading the eye in a frenzy over. Steven naifeh born june 19, 1952 is a pulitzer prizewinning american biographer of both jackson pollock and vincent van gogh. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading jackson pollock. This book is the 879th greatest nonfiction book of all time as determined by. Firestone, emeritus, university of georgia all but two of the nearly one hundred thirty letters in this collection were written before. An american saga, the little fingertip hit the ground and almost immediately an old bull rooster waddled over and began pecking at it. Picasso, benton and siqueiros, as well as native american sand painting. Readers with a lot of time on their hands who want a womb to tomb to quote a favorite pollock catch phrase account of the artists life are directed toa jackson pollock. It would be wonderful to be able to report that jackson pollock. It stars ed harris, marcia gay harden, jennifer connelly, robert knott, bud cort, molly regan and sada thompson, and was directed by harris. Paul jackson pollock was an abstract expressionist painter whose work became influential among american painters that culminated in the abstract expressionist movement. Marcia gay harden won the academy award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of lee krasner. Before the 1989 release of the pulitzer prizewinning biography jackson pollock. It was a purchase order to the betty parsons gallery for a painting, identified as no.
He was the quintessential tortured genius, an american vincent van gogh, cut from the. Pollock was floundering around, looking for an approach to american painting that would represent a decisive break with european style. Jackson pollock american, 19121956 about this artwork in the late 1940s jackson pollock developed a revolutionary form of abstract expressionism by dripping, pouring, and splashing paint onto largescale canvases. Jackson pollock american painter jackson pollock 19121956 was the leading figure in abstract expressionism 1, a style that evolved after world war ii 2 and radicalized the history of american painting and modern art in general.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. An american saga, steven naifeh and gregory white smith strive to achieve nothing less than a full understanding of the complex social and psychological forces that lay behind the work of an artist considered by many to be americas greatest abstract painter. Steven naifeh and gregory white smith were gracious enough to answer a few questions for us in advance of their event. The movie was the project of ed harris, who portrayed pollock. A dogged march through the life and work of jackson pollock, starting in the early nineteenforties, when lee krasner marcia gay harden first approached him in greenwich village, continuing through their marriage and other tempests, and ending gloomily in a car wreck in 1956. Published in conjunction with the exhibition jackson pollock, organized by kirk varnedoe, chief curator. Includes a timeline linking the events in his life with world events. Also, in a lecture in 1980, greenberg described krasner as the greatest influence on pollock ellen g. An american saga, the pulitzer prizewinning biography written by. An american saga that, not only horses, but other animals of the southwestern united states are also buried depictions in the. He was born to stella and leroy pollock in cody wyoming and the youngest of 5 boys.
An american saga, few people outside of the upper reaches of the art world had ever heard of alfonso ossorio, the philippineborn artist and collector who was pollock s close friend and most important patron. This all over painting technique was assimilated from a variety of sources. Jackson pollock, in full paul jackson pollock, born january 28, 1912, cody, wyoming, u. Paulus jackson pollock, usitate jackson pollock appellatus comitatu cody vyominae 28 ianuarii 1912.
Based on more than 2,000 interviews with 850 people, this is a rich, sprawling biography of one of the most enigmatic figures in american art, jackson pollock, as well as a compulsively readable, sweeping american saga. Directed by ed harris writing credits wga steven naifeh book jackson pollock. Gregory white smith based on interviews with more than 850 people, this illustrated biography profiles the troubled life of the enigmatic avantgarde artist whose controversial work. He changed not only the course of western art, but our very definition of art. The authors interviewed more than eight hundred individuals over an eightyear period. Based on family letters and documents, lengthy interviews with his. Jackson pollock by steven naifeh, gregory white smith and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
An american saga steven naifeh, gregory smith on amazon. Pollock s remembered childhood experience of observing a wild horse stampede. Clarkson n, potter 1989b 4, jeffrey potter, to a violent crave. An extensively researched biography that traces the internal and external forces that brought the unlikely pollock to the forefront of american. An american saga, by steven naifeh and gregory white smith, is the first biography of an artist to win since the inception of. Jackson pollock january 28, 1912 august 11, 1956, was an influential american painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement.
An extensively researched biography that traces the internal and external forces that brought the unlikely pollock to the forefront of american avantgarde art. Pdf can an abstract artist let go of images without losing touch with the source of inspiration. An american saga will have been discussed on donahue, on lesser talk shows and on many private. Jackson pollock 191256 is an american artist best known for his contributions to abstract expressionism, an art movement that arose in new york in the 1940s. An american saga by gregory white smith 2015 english epub. Jackson pollock was born in cody, wyoming on january 28, 1912, with four older brothers. Dec 12, 1988 jackson pollock, an american saga, is also a brief history of american art from the 1920s through the early 50s. Pdf can an abstract artist let go of images without losing touch with the. Other works by gregory white smith and steven naifeh van. Subsequent assertion was made by steven naifeh and gregory white smith in their 1989 biography jackson pollock. We meet such important artists as thomas hart benton, pollock s first teacher at new an exceptionally well researched look into one of the great artists of the 20th century. Composition with pouring ii, by jackson pollock 19121956. Jackson pollock s life is painted to rich detail, and so is the life of the depressionera, new york artistic scene enveloping him.
An american saga by steven naifeh and gregory white smith published in 1989. An american saga, directed by and starring ed harris, was released. Jackson pollocks creation of abstract expressionism. Stuckey, another side of jackson pollock, art in america. On january 31, 1950, three days after jackson pollock turned 38, the museum of modern art gave him a belated birthday present. Gregory white smith based on interviews with more than 850 people, this illustrated biography profiles the troubled life of the enigmatic avantgarde artist whose controversial work changed the definition of modern art. Of war, demons and negation anfam 1993 art history. An american saga steven naifeh, gregory white smith on. In 2000, the biographical film pollock, based on the pulitzer prizewinning biography, jackson pollock. An american saga has 1 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. Jackson pollock jackson was an introvert and socially awkward individual who spent most o f his adult life as an alcoholic struggling with his inner demons. This was the first truly american artform and its development had worldwide repercussions.
An american saga, winner of the pulitzer prize for biography, a book acclaimed for its miraculous research and overwhelming narrative power. Based on family letters and documents, lengthy interviews with his widow, lee krasner, as well as his psychologists and psychoanalysts, this book explodes the myths. Ossorio died about a year after the book was publishedhe was buried in green river. This is not my production, merely an excerpt from the film. Jackson pollock has been dead for nearly 34 years, which clearly should have been enough time to strip away his. Number 31, 1950 with corey daugustine in the studio duration. He was the quintessential tortured genius, an american vincent van gogh, cut from the same unconforming cloth as his contemporaries ernest hemingway and james deanand tormented by the same demons. This page contains details about the nonfiction book jackson pollock. Krasner offered the original account of that fateful night, which was later corroborated by guggenheim and critic clement greenberg.
1437 187 494 581 649 1007 676 182 1168 744 5 1138 1287 1413 253 995 1158 1243 1010 1559 934 698 431 1002 106 956 145 1083 264 1336 680 677 1127