Having exhausted myself trying to find all the hidden faces in Jackson Pollock’s Free Form, and Shimmering Substance, I moved onto his next offering Easter and the Totem and was instantly perplexed.
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Shimmering Substance (1946)
© Pollock/ Krasner Foundation/Licensed by Viscopy
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It was a totally different style.
Mindful of the success of Pollock’s drip paintings I was baffled, but pondered that this was no doubt an earlier attempt before he hit on his winning formulae. However reading the plaque I found this wasn’t the case, it was painted in 1953 … after the others!
Since the gallery volunteer was still within prodding distance I troubled her once more.
She explained that ‘Jack the Dripper’ (her term not mine, so I won’t take credit), gained a lot of money and fame from his drip paintings. Then he pondered …
Challenging himself, he changed to figurative work and the result ….
Unfortunately this work was not as well received.
This had me pondering … any artists, writers or musicians out there suffering from ‘second album syndrome’ don’t panic … even the Masters faced it.
Footnote: Given an estimated crowd in the hundreds of thousands, I should point out that Tne Ponder Room does not endorse prodding AGWA volunteers. Prodding, even a gentle prod, should best be avoided, otherwise the volunteers shoulders may soon resemble the hues of a Pollock painting. A gentle caress may indeed be gratefully received, especially near the end of shift, however you may find yourself being extricated before you’ve even caught a glimpse of Big Julie, and that would be a real shame. No I guess a simple ‘excuse me’ is safest … just thought I’d better clear that up.
