DOCSLIB.ORG

Jackson Pollock and the Native-American Shaman

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Jackson Pollock and the Native-American Shaman JACKSON POLLOCK AND THE NATIVE-AMERICAN SHAMAN ____________ A Thesis Presented To the Faculty of California State University Dominguez Hills ____________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Humanities ____________ By Marilou Staker Summer 2019 THESIS: JACKSON POLLOCK AND THE NATIVE-AMERICAN SHAMAN AUTHOR: MARILOU STAKER APPROVAL APPROVED: Patricia Gamon Ph.D. Thesis Committee Chair Matthew Luckett Ph.D. Committee Member Kirstin Ellsworth Ph.D. Committee Member TABLE OF CONTENTS APPROVAL ................................................................................................................................... ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 Central Topic and Focus ..................................................................................................... 1 Literature Review................................................................................................................ 3 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND................................................................................................ 6 Early Years and Influences ................................................................................................. 6 Primitivism ........................................................................................................................ 10 3. INFLUENTIAL EVENTS ........................................................................................................ 13 John Graham ..................................................................................................................... 13 Carl Jung and Pollock’s Jung-Based Therapy .................................................................. 17 Museum of Modern Art’s Exhibit Indian Art of the United States, 1941 ........................ 20 4. SHAMANISTIC INFLUENCES IN POLLOCK’S ART ........................................................ 26 Shaman as Artist and Healer ............................................................................................. 26 Examples of Pollock’s Representation of Shamanistic Ideas ........................................... 30 Naked Man (1938-41) ....................................................................................................... 30 Guardians of the Secret (1943) ......................................................................................... 34 All-Over Drip Paintings (1946-50) ................................................................................... 39 5. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 45 WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................................... 48 iii LIST OF FIGURES 1. Kiva Mural ................................................................................................................................ 21 2. Bird. .......................................................................................................................................... 22 3. Sky Father and Earth Mother .................................................................................................. 23 4. Four goddesses Surrounded by Rainbow. ............................................................................... 23 5. Haida Shaman Grave Box ........................................................................................................ 24 6. Navajo sand-painters at the Museum of Modern Art, 1941..................................................... 28 7. Naked Man ................................................................................................................................ 31 8. Mask ......................................................................................................................................... 33 9. Guardians of the Secret ............................................................................................................ 34 10. Wooden mask .......................................................................................................................... 36 11. Pottery bowl ............................................................................................................................ 37 12. Autumn Rhythm: Number 30 ................................................................................................... 39 13. Jackson Pollock at Work ......................................................................................................... 42 iv ABSTRACT Abstract Expressionism has generally been studied as the formal confluence of abstraction, surrealism and expressionism transposed onto America’s shores during the psycho- traumatic existentialist World War II period and atomic aftermath. An underlying theme of many modernist studies is primitivism. This study varies in that it specifically looks at the art of Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) as a member of the New York School in the 1940s and early 50s when under the influence of Native-American art and culture, as well as the writings of John Graham, and Jungian psycho-therapy, as he struggled with alcoholism and personal demons. During the period Pollock integrated Native-American shamanism and Navajo sandpainting healing ceremonies and techniques while his art evolved from figurative abstraction into all-over nonobjective drip painting as a means to express his unconscious and to heal himself. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Central Topic and Focus My thesis examines the incorporation of the shaman spirit of Native-American culture in the art of Jackson Pollock (1912-1956). The role of the shaman as healer and artist resonated with Pollock and provided a structure for him to explore his own psyche. Although Pollock was influenced by many other factors, this paper will focus on the influence of Western Native- American art, especially Navajo sandpaintings, in the development of his artistic design, technique, symbolic motifs and the underlying shamanistic meaning of his Abstract Expressionist works. I was immediately drawn to Pollock’s drip paintings when I saw them in art museums, specifically the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice. I enjoyed learning more about his art while studying art of the twentieth century and wanted to discover even more about this “great American artist.” Many have theorized what ideas and events influenced Jackson Pollock. Discussions include the impact of Surrealists and automatism, primitivism, Picasso and Carl Jung’s ideas of the importance of the unconscious. Through my personal collection of Hopi, Navajo and Acoma pottery, and Navajo and Pueblo weavings, I became interested in Native- American symbols and references in Pollock’s paintings. It was my personal interest in Hopi and Navajo art that instilled in me a desire to learn more about Pollock’s interest in the Navajo shaman and their role artists and healers. Pollock wanted his work to speak for him and not his words. However, when he did make a comment his tendency was to refer to Native Americans and sandpaintings over any other specific influences. These comments along with his use of 2 Native-American references in his art piqued my interest in pursuing a greater understanding of his use of shamanistic ideas in his paintings. With this in mind, I have argued that specific overlapping events in Pollock’s life influenced his willingness to accept shamanistic ideas as he integrated them into his art. Born in Cody, Wyoming, Pollock’s early life and his exposure to Native-American culture planted the seed for his embracing of these ideas. A biographical approach examines these early experiences. I have defined what primitivism meant in the early twentieth century, outlined the renewed interest in primitivism in the US art community in the 1930s and 40s and noted its contribution to the resurgence and popularity of Native-American art. I have used the psychoanalytic approach to analyze the influence of John Graham’s article Primitive Art and Picasso (1937) and his System and Dialectics of Art, which focused on primitivism, the unconscious and referenced the Native-American culture. This approach included Pollock’s exposure to Carl Jung’s ideas, which include his Jung-based psychotherapy which began in 1939 and continued until 1942. His visit(s) to the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit, Indian Art of the United States (1941) as well as other Native-American exhibits in other museums are examined. I examined how these events in Pollock’s life afforded him answers to finding ways to explore his own self-expression through Native-American influences and specifically that of the Native- American shaman. I have analyzed specific works, Naked Man (1938-41) and Guardians of the Secret (1943), to show shamanistic influences and how Pollock’s all-over drip paintings reflect his integration of the Native-American shaman as healer and artist. The outcome of this examination is to gain another perspective of Pollock’s
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fractal Expressionism—Where Art Meets Science
    Santa Fe Institute. February 14, 2002 9:04 a.m. Taylor page 1 Fractal Expressionism—Where Art Meets Science Richard Taylor 1 INTRODUCTION If the Jackson Pollock story (1912–1956) hadn’t happened, Hollywood would have invented it any way! In a drunken, suicidal state on a stormy night in March 1952, the notorious Abstract Expressionist painter laid down the foundations of his masterpiece Blue Poles: Number 11, 1952 by rolling a large canvas across the oor of his windswept barn and dripping household paint from an old can with a wooden stick. The event represented the climax of a remarkable decade for Pollock, during which he generated a vast body of distinct art work commonly referred to as the “drip and splash” technique. In contrast to the broken lines painted by conventional brush contact with the canvas surface, Pollock poured a constant stream of paint onto his horizontal canvases to produce uniquely contin- uous trajectories. These deceptively simple acts fuelled unprecedented controversy and polarized public opinion around the world. Was this primitive painting style driven by raw genius or was he simply a drunk who mocked artistic traditions? Twenty years later, the Australian government rekindled the controversy by pur- chasing the painting for a spectacular two million (U.S.) dollars. In the history of Western art, only works by Rembrandt, Velazquez, and da Vinci had com- manded more “respect” in the art market. Today, Pollock’s brash and energetic works continue to grab attention, as witnessed by the success of the recent retro- spectives during 1998–1999 (at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and London’s Tate Gallery) where prices of forty million dollars were discussed for Blue Poles: Number 11, 1952.
    [Show full text]
  • LEE KRASNER Public Information (Selected Chronology)
    The Museum of Modern Art 79 LEE KRASNER Public Information (Selected Chronology) 1908 Born October 27, Lenore Krassner in Brooklyn, New York. 1926-29 Studies at Women's Art School of Cooper Union, New York City. 1928 Attends Art Students League. 1929-32 Attends National Academy of Design. 1934-35 Works as an artist on Public Works of Art Project and for the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration. Joins the WPA Federal Art Project as an assistant in the Mural Division. 1937-40 Studies with the artist Hans Hofmann. 1940 Exhibits with American Abstract Artists at the American Fine Arts Galleries, New York. 1942 Participates in "American and French Paintings," curated by John Graham at the McMillen Gallery, New York. As a result of the show, begins acquaintance with Jackson Pollock. 1945 Marries Jackson Pollock on October 25 at Marble Collegiate Church, New York. Exhibits in "Challenge to the Critic" with Pollock, Gorky, Gottlieb, Hofmann, Pousette-Dart, and Rothko, at Gallery 67, New York. 1946-49 Creates "Little Image" all-over paintings at Springs, Easthampton. 1951 First solo exhibition, "Paintings 1951, Lee Krasner," at Betty Parsons Gallery, New York. 1953 Begins collage works. 1955 Solo exhibition of collages at Stable Gallery, New York. 1956 Travels to Europe for the first time. Jackson Pollock dies on August 11. 1959 Completes two mosaic murals for Uris Brothers at 2 Broadway, New York. Begins Umber and Off-White series of paintings. 1965 A retrospective, "Lee Krasner, Paintings, Drawings, and Col­ lages," is presented at Whitechapel Art Gallery in London (circulated the following year to museums in York, Hull, Nottingham, Newcastle, Manchester, and Cardiff).
    [Show full text]
  • Weeping Woman, 1937 (Room 3)
    Tate Modern Artist and Society Boiler House (North) Level 2 West 11:00-11:45 Laurence Shafe 1 Artist and Society Rachel Whiteread, Demolished, 1996 (Room 1) ....................................................................... 5 Marwan Rechmaoui, Monument for Living, 2001-8 (Room 1) ................................................. 9 Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Composition B (No.II) with Red, 1935 (Room 2) ........................ 13 Victor Pasmore, Abstract in White, Green, Black, Blue, Red, Grey and Pink, c. 1963 ............. 17 Hélio Oiticica, Metaesquema, 1958 (Room 2) ........................................................................ 21 Pablo Picasso, Weeping Woman, 1937 (Room 3) ................................................................... 25 Salvador Dalí, Autumnal Cannibalism, 1936 (Room 3) ........................................................... 29 André Fougeron, Martyred Spain, 1937 (Room 3) .................................................................. 33 David Alfaro Siqueiros, Cosmos and Disaster, 1936 (Room 3) ................................................ 37 Kaveh Golestan, Untitled (Prostitute series), 1975-77 ........................................................... 41 Lorna Simpson, Five Day Forecast, 1991 (not on display) ....................................................... 44 Joseph Beuys, Lightning with Stag in its Glare, 1958-85 (Room 7) .......................................... 48 Theaster Gates, Civil Tapestry 4, 2011 (Room 9) ...................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Jackson Pollock in Action
    LESSON 10 TEACHER’S GUIDE Jackson Pollock in Action by Barbara Tillman Fountas-Pinnell Level S Biography Selection Summary Jackson Pollock pursued his passion for art in high school and at the Art Students League in New York. He studied the work of artists he admired and eventually developed his own style of abstract art. Number of Words: 1,263 Characteristics of the Text Genre • Biography Text Structure • Narrative text organized in fi ve short chapters. • Details help the reader understand the author’s purpose. Content • Abstract art • How Pollock became an artist • Reactions to an artist’s work Themes and Ideas • Artists can be inspired by their surroundings. • An artist’s work communicates his own thoughts, feelings, and ideas. • Abstract art appeals to some, but not all, viewers. Language and • Descriptive language Literary Features • Conversational tone Sentence Complexity • Longer complex sentence structures with embedded phrases and clauses • Sentences with parenthetical material Vocabulary • Many art terms, some of which might not be familiar, such as composition, mural, technique Words • Many multisyllable words some of them challenging, such as reservations, muralist, unattractive • Phonetic pronunciation provided Illustrations • Illustrations support text and add interest. Book and Print Features • Eleven pages of text with a timeline at the end • Table of contents with easy-to-read chapter headings • Captions and text box support text. © 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law.
    [Show full text]
  • Jackson Pollock & Tony Smith Sculpture
    Jackson Pollock & Tony Smith Sculpture An exhibition on the centennial of their births MATTHEW MARKS GALLERY Jackson Pollock & Tony Smith Speculations in Form Eileen Costello In the summer of 1956, Jackson Pollock was in the final descent of a downward spiral. Depression and alcoholism had tormented him for the greater part of his life, but after a period of relative sobriety, he was drinking heavily again. His famously intolerable behavior when drunk had alienated both friends and colleagues, and his marriage to Lee Krasner had begun to deteriorate. Frustrated with Betty Parsons’s intermittent ability to sell his paintings, he had left her in 1952 for Sidney Janis, believing that Janis would prove a better salesperson. Still, he and Krasner continued to struggle financially. His physical health was also beginning to decline. He had recently survived several drunk- driving accidents, and in June of 1954 he broke his ankle while roughhousing with Willem de Kooning. Eight months later, he broke it again. The fracture was painful and left him immobilized for months. In 1947, with the debut of his classic drip-pour paintings, Pollock had changed the direction of Western painting, and he quickly gained international praise and recog- nition. Four years later, critics expressed great disappointment with his black-and-white series, in which he reintroduced figuration. The work he produced in 1953 was thought to be inconsistent and without focus. For some, it appeared that Pollock had reached a point of physical and creative exhaustion. He painted little between 1954 and ’55, and by the summer of ’56 his artistic productivity had virtually ground to a halt.
    [Show full text]
  • GO Directly to Hofmannopoly!
    The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art presents Hofmannopoly An Art Student’s Journey ���������� Each player is an art student journeying through Hans Hofmann's world and learning about his color theory. The first person to reach graduation wins: Congratulations, you're an art super star! Continue play until each player graduates. ��� ���� ����� a color printer 8.5" x 11" printer paper scissors tape or glue 2 to 4 small playing pieces (buttons, thimbles, bottle caps or coins work well) no dice necessary 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up ��������� The game board consists of four pages. Assembly is easiest if you follow these instructions step by step: 1. Cut along the dotted line on Page 1. Do NOT cut along the solid lines. 2. Align the cut edge of Page 1 with the solid line on the left side of Page 2, making sure that the game board lines up properly. Using tape or glue, attach Page 1 to Page 2. 3. Now cut along the dotted lines on Pages 3 and 4. 4. Align the cut right edge of Page 3 with the solid line on the left of Page 4, again making sure that the game board lines up properly. Attach Page 3 to Page 4. 5. Finally, attach Pages 3 and 4 to the bottom margin of Pages 1 and 2. 6. Cut out the direction cards, shuffle, and place on the Direction Cards square. ���������� ��� ����� The youngest player goes first. Pick a card from the top of the pile to start the game. Read the card out loud and move to the space on the board as directed.
    [Show full text]
  • Calder / Miró Constellations
    For Immediate Release Calder / Miró Constellations Pace Gallery Acquavella Galleries 32 East 57th Street, New York 18 East 79th Street, New York April 20 – June 30, 2017 April 20 – May 26, 2017 Joint Opening Reception: Wednesday, April 19, 5:30–8 p.m. New York—Pace Gallery and Acquavella Galleries are pleased to announce "Calder / Miró: Constellations," featuring the Constellations series of Alexander Calder and Joan Miró, respectively. The distinct yet complementary presentations illuminate the startling affinities between the two artists, who at the time the series were created, were separated by the Atlantic during World War II and unable to communicate. Presenting approximately 60 sculptures, paintings and works on paper in dialogue with one another, these shows highlight the varied formal, social and political concerns that informed the significant series—neither of which were actually named "Constellations" by the artists themselves. Calder: Constellations will be on view from April 20 through June 30 at Pace Gallery, 32 East 57th Street, and Miró: Constellations will be on view from April 20 through May 26 at Acquavella Galleries, 18 East 79th Street. A joint opening reception will be held on Wednesday, April 19 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at both galleries. "This exhibition will be a landmark, both in our history of documenting the achievements of Alexander Calder and in our long and productive relationship with the Acquavella Galleries," says Marc Glimcher. "The two artists tapped into a powerful artistic current, which allowed them to create these unique but resonant series, while they were totally isolated from each other.
    [Show full text]
  • Lauren Wilson ENGL 1200 – Marc Petersen
    Lauren Wilson ENGL 1200 – Marc Petersen A Pollock Piece Jackson Pollock was truly a one-of-a-kind artist. While many critics consider his works to be simple, uninteresting, and easily repeatable, many fans see him as the art genius that dared to step out of art’s societal boundaries and attempted something new. Still others remain without critique or opinion and merely pass by his puzzling works. Although numerous artists have gained inspiration from the works of this original-minded individual, Pollock’s initial inspiration for his successful paintings is rarely discussed. So, what could possibly have led Pollock to the creation of such bold and unusual paintings, and could there be solely one inspiration, a bundle of inspirations, or did Pollock simply throw paint onto the canvas as some viewers believe? A natural place to begin our examination of Pollock is with his youth. Jackson Pollock, although born into a family that was almost always poor, was given several opportunities to explore his artistry. The youngest of five sons, Pollock was constantly encouraged by his mother to explore his creativity instead of living an athletic boy’s childhood (Tuchman 96). He and his brothers explored their artistic possibilities and found opportunities that would allow them to excel in their artistry. As they grew in their experiences, the boys carefully chose their desired medias. Three of the boys, including Pollock, chose painting, while one moved towards landscape architecture and the other into the craft of a rotogravure etcher. Although he was born in Cody, Wyoming, he was constantly on the move throughout Arizona and California as a result of his father’s failing farms.
    [Show full text]
  • An Interview with Jackson Pollock
    1 Jackson Pollock: An Interview Digitized and edited by Maria Caamano This interview was taped by William Wright in the summer of 1950 for presentation on the Sag Harbor radio station, but was never used. William Wright.: Mr. Pollock, in your opinion, what is the meaning of modern art? Jackson Pollock.: Modern art to me is nothing more than the expression of contemporary aims of the age that we’re living in. W.W.: Did the classical artists have any means of expressing their age? J.P.: Yes, they did it very well. All cultures have had means and techniques of expressing their immediate aims….The thing that interests me is that today painters do not have to go to a subject matter outside of themselves. They work from a different source. They work from within. W.W.: Would you say that the modern artist has more or less isolated the quality, which made the classical works of art valuable, that he’s isolated it and uses it in a purer form? J.P.: Ah ---the good ones have, yes. W.W.: Mr. Pollock, there’s been a good deal of controversy and a great many comments have been made regarding your method of painting. Is there something you’d like to tell us about that? J.P.: My opinion is that new needs need new techniques. And the modern artists have found new ways and new means of making their statements.…Each age finds its own technique. W.W.: Which would also mean that the layman and the critic would have to develop their ability to interpret the new techniques.
    [Show full text]
  • Abstract Painting Workshop
    Abstract painting workshop Move beyond realism and paint your emotions and ideas “We are all hungry and thirsty for concrete images. Abstract art will have been good for one thing: to restore its exact virginity to figurative art.” Salvador Dali Abstract art became popular in the last century when some artists started to paint shapes in order to create a composition completely detached from the representation of reality. From then on many painters have experimented this non-figurative art (also called non-objective art), which can be found also in other cultures of the past. During this 5-day intensive workshop students will learn to practice different kinds of non- representational art such as geometric abstraction, whose groundwork were laid by Piet Mondrian, lyrical abstraction, which follows the lessons of Wassily Kandinsky, and partial abstraction in which reality is conspicuously and deliberately transformed (Fauvism and Cubism are probably the most famous art mouvements that embodied partial abstraction). Along with this subjects students will be taught to master the different media that can be used for abstract paintings, such as oil, acrylic colors, watercolors or even mixed media. Students will eventually grasp that behind an abstract painting there should always be an idea or a feeling supported by a solid structure or by a centre of interest that students have previously developed by using forms, colors and lines. During this seminar students will realize how hard but also gratifying can be to develop and foster a personal project either on a paper sheet or on a canvas by using their talent and their artistic skils.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Modern Art and the Kimono
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings Textile Society of America 2006 The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Modern Art and the Kimono Valerie Foley [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf Part of the Art and Design Commons Foley, Valerie, "The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Modern Art and the Kimono" (2006). Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 315. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/315 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Textile Society of America at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Modern Art and the Kimono Valerie Foley [email protected] In 2003 I enrolled in a master’s degree program in arts administration. In addition to such classes as exhibition planning, appraisals, and computer applications, we had two sweeping modern art surveys, which took us from the birth of impressionism in the 1860s to emerging artists of the 21st century. For one end term project, we each had to design a complete hypothetical exhibition, from mission statement to budget to invitation card to gallery space. The only restriction was that we had to demonstrate on paper that we could actually pull it off. At that time, I had recently seen a kimono in a catalogue from the Honolulu Academy of Arts for an exhibition of early 20th century Japanese art entitled Taisho Chic that had all the characteristics of a work by Miró, one of the artists in the program’s survey.1 Codes et Constellations Dans L'Amour D'Une Femme, dated 19412 is an actual Miró.
    [Show full text]
  • Joan Miró, Black and Red Series : a New Acquisition in Context
    Joan Miró, black and red series : a new acquisition in context Author Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) Date 1998 Publisher The Museum of Modern Art Exhibition URL www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/229 The Museum of Modern Art's exhibition history— from our founding in 1929 to the present—is available online. It includes exhibition catalogues, primary documents, installation views, and an index of participating artists. MoMA © 2017 The Museum of Modern Art A New Acquisition in Context The Museumof ModernArt, NewYork November19,1998-February 2, 1999 rck A ;W, The Museum of Modern Art Library /T A/The Museum of Modern Art recently acquired for its For Further Reading /«j permanent collection the Black and Red Series by Bradley, Fiona. Movements in Modern Art: Surrealism. London: Tate Gallery Publishing, 1997. Joan Miro (1893-1983). Consisting of eight etchings Capa, Cornell, and Richard Whelan, eds. Robert Capa: Photographs. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. created in 1938, the series joins a remarkable group Dupin, Jacques. Mird Engravings, Vol. 1 (1928-1960). New York: of works by M iro —paintings, drawings, collages, Rizzoli, 1989. Joan Miro: Paintings and Drawings 1929-41. London: Whitechapel sculptures, prints, illustrated books, and posters — Art Gallery; Barcelona: Fundacio Joan Miro, 1989. With texts by already in the Museum's collection. The Museum has Rosa Maria Malet and William Jeffett. Exhibition catalogue. Krauss, Rosalind. "Michel, Bataille, et moi." October, no. 68 long been committed to the study and exhibition of (spring 1994), pp. 3-20. Lanchner,Carolyn. Joan Miro. NewYork:The Museumof Modern Art, 1993.
    [Show full text]