Jackson Pollock's Creativity

In the late 1940's with all his success there was also a downside. Pollock was heavily into alcohol. When a magazine suggested that he was "he greatest living painter in America", it only triggered him to drink more. It was believed that drinking had an influence in Pollock's creativity. His paintings began to lack color. They were done on big bolts with duck cloth covers. It was also then that he did scary self portraits which exposed him as tense, confused and in despair. Although Jackson Pollock was not accepted by all right away, he is believed to be one of the most famous American painters of the 20th Century. He set the path for many who have followed him, especially other Abstract Expressionist painters. Pollock's technique was considered
so radical that its existence expanded the possibilities of painting. Action painting provided a sense of unlimited freedom. People stated that Pollock's paintings "brought out a glamour and authority to American painting which inspired young painters" (Cernuschi 266). Another reason why Pollock was a great influential artist was because people would "borrow" his style of painting and try to include it in their paintings. Abstract Expressionist paintings display no identical patterns, so these "borrowings" are very technical. Pollock's paintings were so remarkable that you could only use his style without being able to counterfeit his works.