Modern Art

2293 Words5 Pages

Piet Mondrian and Jackson Pollock are both regarded as being major influences within the movement of modern art. During the peak of their careers their artwork took on very different styles. Mondrian was born in 1872, he was a Dutch artist, is famously known for his precise, systematic style of painting. He is renowned for the grid-based paintings that he produced in the early 1920’s during his time in Paris (wilder, 2007 p.318). Jackson Pollocks work was erratic and spontaneous, this is particularly noticeable in the late 1940’s when he produced an array of works using a drip painting technique (ref). Despite the works of Mondrian and Pollock being at opposite ends of the scale when it came to style and imagery, is it possible their influences and views were in fact quite similar?

Along with their style of painting, the personalities of the two men were to match. Piet Mondrian enjoyed a modest lifestyle and didn’t experience a huge amount of fame until the late 1950’s after his death, and his work was mainly supported by the occasional magazine article and art exhibition (Blotcamp, 2001 p.9). In comparison Pollock was considered the James Dean of the artistic world, he was notorious for having a wild, rebellious nature, often drinking to suppress his emotions or insecurities (Landau, 2005 p.18). Unlike Mondrian he attracted a lot of attention within his lifetime, and enjoyed the fame and appreciation his work was bringing. His partner Lee Krasner, Whom he married in 1946, was a determined, levelheaded young artist, and was believed to be a strong influence towards the recognition of his work (Karmel and Varnedoe, 1999 p.25). It could be perhaps said have the support of a strong woman is incredibly influential to an artist, espec...

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...(ref), trainers and cars to name a few. Like wise Pollock’s work has been used in the design of fashion, and many people have attempted to recreate his work, because the style of it was so unusual, Pollock was aware the technique of dripping paint wasn’t a completely new idea (ref) but he was the person who made it commercially famous within the and art world, hence his fame and notoriety. Despite their mistakes and fails they strived to express themselves. Pollock openly said he doesn’t make accidents, he denies the accident, and Mondrian felt his failures were valuable to his success, he never made mistakes; everything was a contribution to his work (Riley, 1997 P.9). Despite their ups and downs the two iconic pieces created by Mondrian and Pollock, Composition in red black and blue and number 8 represents the style they are renowned for and their personalities.

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