Peering into Jackson Pollock: A Cinematic Analysis

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Peering into the Life of Jackson Pollock This realistic and demanding movie gives a very detailed and emotional look into the painter Jackson Pollock’s life. Director, and main character, Ed Harris released “Pollock” in September 2000. This was Harris’s personal project after reading a biography on Jackson Pollock. Harris does an excellent job at recreating the artwork of Pollock and really showing what it is like to be an alcoholic dealing with the demons of your work and home life. The film takes a look into Jackson Pollock, an abstract expressionist artist living in New York City in the mid-1900s. Jackson is living with his brother and sister-in-law who are expecting a baby when he meets Lee Krasner (played by Marcia Gay Harden). Later …show more content…

Howard brings Peggy to see Jackson work. While initially very frustrated for having to wait, Peggy offers him a contract to sell $2400 of paintings and commission for painting a mural in her home. His first exhibit fails to bring any buyers. Jackson finds himself in a drunken stupor after a New Year’s Eve party where he almost sleeps with Peggy; and again after he learns of Howards death. Each time he returns back to Lee. Lee then gives him an ultimatum: marry her and continue to paint or to break up. Jackson agrees to marry her but insists on a church wedding. They eventually move from the city into a house by the ocean. They continue to paint, Lee taking after Jackson’s …show more content…

After Life Magazine covers Jackson Pollock’s work, life gets better as he abstains from alcohol and his paintings start to sell. A photographer films Jackson’s work but Jackson feels like a phony doing this. He loses patience and starts to drink again. Jackson does not take a review favoring another artist well and becomes angrier when Lee confronts him for the way he has been acting and for the affair he has been having with Ruth Kligman. Jackson blames his actions on Lee refusing to have a baby. Lee goes to Venice to visit Peggy. Jackson continues to see Ruth. On one visit to see Ruth, Ruth brings along her friend Edith Metzger. They go for a drive but Jackson is very drunk and ends up crashing the car, killing himself and Edith. The film notes that Lee lived 28 more years continuing her art and promoting Jackson Pollock’s legacy. The film does a very good job at reaching into the life of Jackson Pollock. Even the paintings, recreated by Harris himself, are very similar to the work of Pollock. It hits all the major moment in the couple’s lives, both the good and the bad. The anger Ed Harris expresses is very impactful and he does a nice job reenacting an alcoholic that also suffers from bipolar disorder. There aren’t very many negative things to say about the film. Jackson Pollock’s character isn’t very likable, but it coincided

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