Pollock's first attempt at a work of art was a painting called Male and Female, which is currently kept at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Number 5, Blue Poles, Mural, and Convergence are some of Pollock's most famous works. Today, Pollock is considered as one of the best painters America has produced.
Naked Man with Knife is one of the more obscure works of Pollock, and was never shown or even given a title during his lifetime. It is believed to be created during the Depression years when Pollock experimented heavily with drip painting and experts have set its creation between 1938 and 1941.
It is believed that Pollock was just beginning to discover his own style and implemented it in this piece.
The picture shows three naked men. The one on the extreme right is trying to stab the other two with a knife, while the man in the middle is trying to hold him off.
Jackson Pollock was an American painter, who was known for his abstract expressionist work. Born in Cody in 1912, Pollock honed his skills in the midst of the Great Depression by working with the WPA Federal Art Project, which was an attempt to create employment for artists, musicians, and other creative professionals.
The man to the left appears to be frightened of the assault. The piece is a violent depiction of an assault though experts are not sure what it refers to. There are theories that it could represent World War II or the Spanish Civil War.
It is possible that Naked Man with Knife was influenced heavily by the Mexican painter, José Clemente Orozco.