Jackson Pollock

Free Owsley Sunday Films

Jackson Pollock
Directed by Hans Namuth

Sunday, June 17, 2 and 2:30 pm

Sunday, June 24, 12:30 pm

Free

Photographer Hans Namuth first captured abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock in his studio working on his “drip” technique of painting in 1950. Dissatisfied that the black and white images didn’t capture the essence of Pollock’s technique, he implored the painter to return to film him in action and in color.

Namuth shot Pollock from a startling angle through glass in 1951 demonstrating the gestural and nearly performative element of his artistic process. The filming took a great toll on the painter emotionally and broke his period of sobriety. The bourbon he drank after the shoot, his first drink in two years, led to a spiral of alcoholism. 1951, U.S., 16mm, 10 minutes. Recommended for all ages.

Screened in conjunction with the exhibition Picasso to Pollock: Modern Masterworks from the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University.