Having visited the exhibition in the museum I was attracted by two great pictures. The first I would like to tell of is the picture by Jackson Pollock named The Guardian of the Secret, 1943. This work, which Pollock exhibited on his first personal exhibition carried out in November 1943, attracted special attention of critics. According to the memories of Clement Greenberg “there were other more gifted and more successful artists at that time, but none of them managed to express themselves in their pictures so sincerely and impressively, as Pollock managed”1.
Pollock depicted two abstract bodies of “guardians”: female body is on the left, her face is covered with the mask of horse and on the right he depicted male body. The “guardians” look attentively at the fragment covered with symbols. Some of these symbols Pollock took from Afro-American primitive art, other were taken from mythology. Some of the signs send us to the art worlds of Picasso and Miró. On the basis that Pollock was fond of psycho-analytical theory of Jung, one can suppose that these depicted signs are called to express mysterious shadows and image born by his unconsciousness.
This picture is drawn in the style of action painting. This style was invented by Pollock, so he was the genuine master in it. As this work was created near the end of his life it looks rather depressively. Dark colors overwhelm the picture. Grey, black, brown and rusty colors create dismal atmosphere. Red color symbolizes blood, as it seems to me. Male body is depicted rather big and powerful as if creating an allegory of power, might, force and dominating of men. His hand lies on the fragment with strange signs. Perhaps, this male body is figurative depiction of the Pollock himself, as if he holds his hand on his consciousness and unconsciousness and all what’s going on inside it. The body of woman is rather tender as if she is a tender flower who has to hide from something.
Red, blue and yellow touches of brush show fire. The fire, which was burning in the soul of the artist. The guardians hold the ancient scroll all covered with strange and mysterious signs. Some of them are even falling down from it in a chaotic order. Just like thought of Pollock when he was drawing the picture. His last years drowned in alcohol and he was tired and his works were becoming more and more depressive. The scroll, full of his thoughts, rather strange and unfamiliar for a stranger, is, perhaps, the idea of his brain and inner world. At last, the concept of action painting is expressing oneself as deeply, freely and sincerely, as one can.
Jackson Pollock used to draw with heavy loaded brushes. He took a lot of color on the brush and painted. The majority of his works were painted on the floor where the artist could freely move. This picture is drawn from left to the right – that was the usual way for the artist to draw as if he was writing. Deep and thick touches of brush create the easily recognizable style of Pollock. Also, one of his distinguishing features was that he drew his pictures beginning with the lighter colors. And the end it gave effects as if lighter color comes out through darker colors just as volcanoes, as if the light is born by the darkness.
As I have already mentioned this work tends to be dark because it was drawn almost at the end of Pollock’s life. It is partially symmetrical horizontally and vertically.
When I have seen this picture for the first time I was really fascinating as it provokes deep thoughts. In the right of this work in dark column a symbol similar to spermatozoid can be easily seen. It is going upwards. I think that it is symbolizing a new life, a new idea that begins in the head of the master when he is thinking over a new masterpiece.
The second picture that astonished me was Frieda and Diego Rivera, 1931 by Frida Kahlo. On this picture both Frida herself and her beloved man, whom she loved during all her life are depicted. Touches of brush on this picture are calm and soft, as if Frida loved what and whom she was painting. There is nothing on the background. There are only Frida and her love. They look at with calm and wise eyes, and if you will look at the picture for a long time, you can notice that their eyes are almost eyes of a living person. “Kahlo once said, “I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best””2. Frida Kahlo was fond of Botticelli’s works and they made a great impact on her early art life.
Their faces are calm, Diego’s face seems to be a little bit smiling, but Frida is serious about something. They are holding their hands – a symbol of their unity and love. A white dove flying above them reminds us about some Bible plots, but perhaps, Frida wanted to depict in this way that real marriages are made on Heaven, not on the Earth.
This highlighting of the two people makes us think that Frida wanted to tell us that there existed no one in the world for her, except Diego. It is quite clear as he was the only man who captured her thoughts. She depicted him very clodse to life.
Touches of brush are calm and tender, as the painter loved what she was painting. They were made from the top to the down and it also makes us feel comfortable. Colors of the picture are not bright, except clothes of Frida. Perhaps, she wanted to show that she is really special.
Kahlo’s pictures are extremely thought provoking, though every shape depicted can be easily seen. Kahlo’s pictures are overwhelmed with symbols and signs, as well as Pollock’s work, though they were artists of different genres. Kahlo took her inspiration from the art of ancient Mexican tribes, pre-Columbian civilizations. Her works are full of symbols and fetishes of these cultures.
She “painted “pain and passion” using intense, vibrant colors. Her style is “close to folk art””3. Just like as Pollock she used primitive ideas of art n her own works. She filtered all the ideas of ancestors and created something great and new.
Touches of brushes on her work are tender as if she loved what she was doing. She was bright and strong woman. She started to paint after serious car crash, where she suffered a lot. Her talent is not lost through half of a century after her death.
This visit to museum left great memories in my head. Kahlo and Pollock are two different artists who used in their art and works ideas of their ancestors, who took their inspiration from the same source of primitivism and its culture. Their works are of great value, as they are really unique. They imply deep and heavy thoughts. Pictures look rather depressively and dismal. In Pollock’s case this is due to the colors he used in his picture. And in Kahlo’s case it is due to the glance, to the idea that send the eyes of a woman depicted there and her loneliness, total loneliness even in spite she is pregnant and her baby is with her.
I liked both of the pictures and they are sure to leave great impact inside me. I will be thinking them over and over. Perhaps, I will visit the exhibition once more to look at them once again and to think more about those ideas implied by the painters. Different styles and direction in art didn’t become a nuisance in bringing their passions from the common source. These two great people lived at the same epoch and died almost at the same year. Their works will always be valued as they perform a unique painting technique (Jackson Pollock) and unique ideas of strong woman (Frida Kahlo). Both of the painters had hard lives, but, in my opinion, it is an axiom then the harder life of an artist, the better the works are. Concerning these two pictures that I saw I can say that this is really the truth.
I hope these techniques and ideas provided by the painters will not be lost and will be studied by younger generations. Kahlo and Pollock left behind great heritage worthy of being remembered in centuries.
Works Cited
Greenberg, Clement. Art and Culture. Beacon: Beacon Press, 1961. Print.
Kettenmann, Andrea. Frida Kahlo: Pain and Passion. Köln: Benedikt Taschen Verlag GmbH, 1993. Print.
Ruhrberg, Karl et al. Frida Kahlo: Art of the 20th Century: Painting, Sculpture, New Media, Photography. Köln: Benedikt Taschen Verlag GmbH, 2000. Print.
Footnotes
- Clement Greenberg, Art and Culture (Beacon: Beacon Press, 1961) 15.
- Andrea Kettenmann, Frida Kahlo: Pain and Passion (Köln: Benedikt Taschen Verlag GmbH, 1993) 3.
- Karl Ruhrberg et al. Frida Kahlo: Art of the 20th Century: Painting, Sculpture, New Media, Photography (Köln: Benedikt Taschen Verlag GmbH, 2000) 745.