Week 8 Postmodern Art

While watching some of Ex Machina in class, I was intrigued when a painting by Jackson Pollack was shown in one of the scenes. The term “Automatic Art” was used in the dialogue and it definitely stuck with me outside of class. Shown above is called Autumn Rhythm and was made in 1950. The painting was originally named Number 30 because Pollack believed that titles affected a viewer’s perception. He created a new approach to painting by pouring, dripping, flicking, and splattering thinned paint onto unstretched canvas, which laid flat on the floor instead of on an easel. This allowed him to move freely around the canvas, and to utilize all four sides of the material. Jackson Pollack also used untraditional tools to apply the paint which helped give the look he wanted. I think that the painting is a prime example of postmodernism because of the untraditional look and the techniques used to create it. Jackson Pollack used spontaneity with this paintings instead of precise drawings and landscapes. I remember discussing in class how Andy Warhol’s postmodern art didn’t look like traditional art, and were mostly familiar images with different filters and colors. One could say the same about “drip” or “action” paintings. At first glance, Autumn Rhythm looks like a non-innovative mess of paint colors. It actually shows how free with expression art can be with all the different methods an artist can utilize. Postmodernism rejects traditional and modern ideas in our society, and Pollack’s abstract art is an interesting example of the movement.