Who inspired Jackson Pollock?

Answer 1

The answer isn't necessarily "who", but "what".

(See painting titled: No. 5)

Jackson Pollock studied the way paint hits a canvas. For example, during the Renaissance, painters studied how to replicate our 3-dimensional world onto a flat canvas with accuracy. Pollock wanted to study how paint can physically sit on top of a canvas, and how the 3-dimensionality of it will appear. He wanted to see how the paint would dry, how the paint would fall on itself, and how different colors would interact.

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Certainly Jackson Pollocks earlier works from the 40's such as 'Guardian's of the secret' & 'she wolf' were strongly influenced by Picasso (whom i feel he absorbed via Arshile Gorky) combined with an influence of Mexicans such as Jose Orozco & David Alfaro Siqueiros. Previous to this he had been under the influence of Tom Benton and not producing anything as interesting. The influence of the art critic Clement Greenberg on the whole New York School, and particularly in reference to the decline of painting in Europe created an environment of possibilities at the right place & the right time. Gorky's death in 1948 also left the way open for Pollock to move into the number 1 spot in America.

Not sure if i agree with the first reply above, i was under the impression that Pollocks main weakness was his drawing skill, this he resolved in the end by drawing 'above' the canvas surface. But maybe i agree with the 'what, not who' as i feel Pollock was most strongly driven by the environment New York artists were creating on the world stage.