“Those who don’t know how to break the rules don’t know how to make art.”—Banksy
JACKSON POLLOCK
Jackson Pollock pioneered an art movement known as “action painting.” He developed a technique called drip painting, where he poured and splattered paint onto large canvases, often laid on the floor. Although some may glance at Pollock’s artwork and wonder why it fetches hundreds of millions of dollars, criticizing it as mere paint splatters, the essence of his creative brilliance requires a glimpse into the records of art history.
Art history began with humans drawing their observations on walls, capturing the world around them. Over time, our repertoire of drawing techniques expanded, and we invented various mediums to create more realistic art. Concepts such as perspective, proportion, and reflection aided in accurately depicting the world’s essence on canvases. However, there came a turning point when artists like Monet defied conventional norms. Breaking free from the shackles of realism, Monet employed rough, expressive brushstrokes and vibrant, invigorating hues to portray landscapes, people, and other subjects. That’s when technology threw the art world a curveball with the invention of the camera. The camera eliminated the need for art to look real. What’s the point of posing for hours to get a realistic portrait painted when someone could just take a quicker even more realistic photo? In light of this, artists like Picasso challenged the status quo. He pondered, “What if I ignore the laws of perspective, leaving that to cameras, and instead paint a subject from multiple angles?”. This sparked the birth of distorted art forms, expanding the horizons of artistic expression.
Here’s when Jackson Pollock arrived. With audaciousness and unpredictability, Pollock posed a profound question: What if I create art that isn’t of anything, free from any subject or representation? He discarded the idea of using any subject at all and, instead, painted paintings and nothing else. It only represented itself. This was the ultimate act of rebellion, not just against an art movement but against art history itself. That’s what made him a genius.
Through relentless mastery of his craft, he defied conventional thinking and forged new techniques along the way. Do not be deceived by the seemingly simplistic nature of his paintings; his art is not easy to create. They required him to exert a painstaking amount of energy and emotion to create paintings so unique that they are nearly impossible to replicate. He created dynamic and spontaneous compositions emphasizing the physical act of painting itself. Pollock’s novel techniques and the absence of a recognizable subject have had a lasting impact on contemporary art. Since then, artists have broken free from the chains of subjectivity, creating art for the sheer sake of creation, owing their liberation to Jackson Pollock.
LEARN THE RULES BEFORE YOU BREAK THEM
Even though Jackson Pollock is famous for developing a groundbreaking abstract style of art, many people don’t know that he was proficient in painting realism. He received formal art training and mastered all the traditional techniques, just like all of his artsy peers. By perfecting the methods of the great artists before his time, Pollock elevated to creating art ahead of his time. He learned the fundamentals so that he could intelligently question them.
Creators of the past laid the fundamental groundwork to master your craft. If you go to art school, they’re going to help you rewire how you see the world. At dance school, you’ll learn how to cultivate strong body awareness and control. In film school, professors will stress the importance of framing and composition. By mastering the rules, you’ll become proficient and knowledgeable in all the time-tested conventional techniques, frameworks, and traditions. However, to transcend conventional boundaries and explore new frontiers, you have to break those rules. This will unleash true artistic freedom, innovation, and creative thinking.
Don’t rush this process by trying to break the rules prematurely. You’ll only end up falling short of your true potential. If you break the wrong rules, nobody will notice