The medium is enamel and aluminium paint applied to paper which has then been mounted onto canvas. The bold palette, with silver greys and greens in dominance, weave and curl across the green background that is also shot through with rust and yellow.
The work is executed in Pollock’s Abstract Expressionist style. Pollock was part of the Abstract Expressionist Movement who, critically aware of the vulnerability of human life and its inclination to irrational behaviour, sought to express their feelings on the subject.
Jackson Pollock's so called 'drip paintings' can in all sincerity be said to have had a major influence in the course of American contemporary art.
Born in 1912, Pollock adopted the method of dripping and pouring paint directly onto canvasses resting horizontally during the years of 1946 and 1947.
Pollock's technique was to pour or drip paint directly onto the canvas or other medium, using sticks and other implements. This technique was dubbed 'Action Painting' by Harold Rosenberg, and art critic.
The technique allows for the physical separation of artist’s tools and paper or canvas and therefore offers creative freedom in a manner that cannot be achieved by use of brush or knife.
Perhaps most remembered as an action artist it should be mentioned, in testimony to the artist’s skill, that he was also a skilled lithographer, screen printer and engraved, although this side of his work is much lesser known.
Pollock continued to refine his technique in the years between 1945 and his death by automobile accident on August 11, 1956. Although as the years progressed Pollock produced fewer paintings each year, the refinement of his style and the boldness and unique vision of his works has left a legacy that still dominates the contemporary art world.