Looking Outwards 06: Randomness

This week’s topic of projects regarding randomness is probably my favorite so far. As randomness in art is open ended and up to the audience’s interpretation, it gives a much more interactive aspect to observing projects. A specific work I want to focus on is Jackson Pollock’s work. He was a major figure in the expressionist movement and widely appreciated for his contemporary art and recently has a memorial exhibition at MoMA. His methods of creating art were largely using the “drip technique” which were random pouring of paints onto the canvas. These methods create randomized artworks where no two pieces would be the same. Another influence onto his paints would be that between 1947 and 1950 was the “drip period” where these techniques were popular. My favorite specific piece from artist Pollock would be “number 1” as it is the first drip technique painting he made, using thinned paint and cans of commercial enamel. It is veru interesting to me how a random method and progress to create a piece would result in something so famous and well known.