Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), American
abstract painter, who developed a technique for applying paint by pouring or
dripping it onto canvases laid on the floor. With this method Pollock produced
intricate interlaced webs of paint, as in Black and White (1948,
private collection). Rapid and seemingly impulsive execution like Pollock’s
became a hallmark of abstract expressionism, a movement that emphasized the
spontaneous gestures of the artist.