Abstract expressionism as self-discovery: an analysis of the external and internal factors involved in the artist’s performance through Jackson Pollock’s artworks

Abstract

The main aim of this dissertation is to analyze Jackson Pollock’s artworks on the culmination of his career as a painter. The analysis is made on the basis of the external and internal factors involved within the artist’s performance. Jackson Pollock is one of the most important pillars of Abstract Expressionism. This pictorial movement lays its foundations on the artists’ need of self-expression and self-discovery as it was the previous concern of Romanticism. Abstract Expressionism emerged in the United States as a response to the end of World War II and spread worldwide during the Cold War.

El principal objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la obra de Jackson Pollock en su etapa culmen a través de los factores externos e internos que repercuten sobre la técnica del artista. Jackson Pollock es un pilar fundamental dentro del Expresionismo Abstracto. Este movimiento surge de la necesidad de expresión y autodescubrimiento del artista que retoma en sus obras la parte emotiva de un movimiento anterior, el Romanticismo. El Expresionismo Abstracto surgió en Estados Unidos como respuesta a las consequencias de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y se extendió al resto de mundo durante la Guerra Fría.