Pollock, a 2000 film directed by Ed Harris showed a very raw depiction of the life of American painter Jackson Pollock. I chose this movie because I am interested in American art history, and particularly Jackson Pollock’s work after taking an American Art History course, many years ago, in high school. I also am from Long Island, so I am familiar with the Pollock-Krasner House, which adding in making me chose Pollock. This film showed me a very dark side of Pollock’s life, and his struggles with alcoholism, infidelity, and family life. It also showed me a woman I find now to be way more interesting than her more famous husband and a true feminist icon, artist Lee Krasner. While being very dark, this film also gave insight to the behind the scenes of what Jackson Pollock was envisioning and struggling with while creating works that revolutionized the abstract expressionist movement.
While he was born in Wyoming, the movie skips his early life and begins immediately with a scene of Pollock, intoxicated, in his early 20’s in New York City. This was an interesting choice for the director to make as it really set the tone for how the movie would go. I enjoyed this choice made by the director because often it can be boring for the viewer to be given too much background information on a main character’s early life. You are almost immediately introduced to Lee Krasner, who would later become his wife. She follows him home which lets the viewer know right away she is a bold and strong personality. She is seen physically shoving herself through the door to speak to him, about art, which seems like a symbolic chose the director made. Her coming through this door was literally her coming into his life and the start of his driving success. She also has a heavy New York accent, and being from New York myself this was a touch that I enjoyed. They begin discussing art immediately and it is revealed to us that Krasner is also an extremely intelligent and well-spoken artist. Krasner’s main interests are in modern and abstract art, and particularly Pollock’s works.
While Krasner and Pollock are shown in their early dating life, and beginning stages of their relationships, we are shown they struggle heavily with money. Pollock is not yet a successful or known artist. We see scenes of Pollock being so intoxicated he falls asleep in the streets and is covered in filth coming home at all hours of the morning. Despite all of Pollock’s flaws, and red flags, Lee Krasner still loves him, and supports his art. Lee Krasner throughout the film becomes a character that the audience sympathizes with a lot. I particularly enjoyed that the movie portrayed her as such a strong woman in Pollocks life, rather than as someone who was walked all over which could have easily been the light that the director could’ve portrayed her in. Throughout the film Krasner motivates Pollock, seeks out opportunities for him, and even gives a very impressive speech to Peggy Guggenheim when she comes to visit.
A scene I found to stick out the most is the scene where Peggy Guggenheim views Pollock’s art in his apartment. She begins the scene extremely furious that Pollock and Krasner are late, and visibly intoxicated. She enters the house, furious, insults Krasner’s art, and then shoves past her to view Pollock’s work. Despite such a horrid mistreatment, Krasner still follows Guggenheim into the room full of Pollock’s work and does all the talking on how genius the pieces are. This scene really proved to me that behind every man’s success is a strong successful woman.
Another scene I particularly enjoyed was later on in the movie after Pollock and his wife Lee Krasner, moved to their house in East Hampton on Long Island. Pollock, and Krasner appear very happy and in love. They are shown gardening and fixing up their property, and it appears the director made the choice to have this scene very romanticized. Following this very happy scene they are shown inside the house at night, Pollock is having a beer and he asks Krasner to have a baby. Krasner says no and Pollock erupts in violence, heavily contrasting the romantic and happy scenes just shown before. I particularly love every scene where Lee Krasner stands up for herself and puts Pollock in his place, but this scene stuck out the most. Krasner tells Pollock that a baby won’t fix their relationship, she made the choice not to have kids, and that they need to be realistic because they’re both low income painters. While this scene may be an odd scene to enjoy so much, the director as well the actor playing Krasner really did her character justice. For Krasner to be so strong and opinionated in a time where women faced so much inequality, and were expected to stay home and raise kids, I thoroughly enjoyed that the director included this scene.
The film Pollock overall was very enjoyable; however, I didn’t enjoy it for the reasons I thought I would have. I truthfully had not expected that Jackson Pollock such a jaded, awful person, and the way this film portrayed him made me enjoy his art less. On a more positive note this film introduced me to another amazingly talented artist, Lee Krasner. Upon some research into her art works after the film I found that she was equally as talented of an abstract expressionist painter as her cheating husband. The director did a very good job depicting Pollock and I seriously have respect for how Lee Krasner was depicted. I am so happy her character was shown as such a strong person next her husband who is essentially a household name. The film did a thorough job giving a very raw depiction of the life and struggles of Jackson Pollock, and I would recommend it a friend to watch. I enjoyed the film Pollock but would probably enjoy a movie about Lee Krasner more.
