A Place of Refuge: Maynard Dixon's Arizona Book

The Book Jackson Pollock by Justin Spring expands on the life of Jackson Pollock and the influence he had on creating a movement around a form of art known as abstract expressionalism. The biography shows a glimpse of his dark and complex life. The book explores Pollock's life and the struggles he went through as a young child through adulthood. Pollock used art to express his emotion, and his abstract paintings reflected his feelings. Although today Pollock is recognized as a famous artist his path of getting there was far from easy; all of his life's challenges helped him create abstract expressionalism.
Jackson was a struggling artist for many years, but over the course of his life several individuals helped shape him into the artist we remember today. Many people tried to help Jackson overcome the issues that he was experiencing, but no one could get him to quit drinking. Early in his career Pollock was approached by Thomas Bentos who became his mentor and friend (25). Bentos helped Pollock refine his talent and encouraged him to explore his talent further. Later, his wife, Lee Krasner, was a key supporter and promoter of his work. Krasner was very found of Pollock's work and said, "'what he had done was much more important than just a line. He had found the way to merge Abstraction with Surrealism,'" (42). She helped make a name for him. This caused Pollock to become an art celebrity around the world. However, throughout his life one thing he could never overcome was his alcoholism, which made it more difficult to pursue his career and strengthen his relationships. Even with his newfound success he was still depressed, an alcoholic and virtually broke.
The book Jackson Pollock was captivating because it showcased the life of a very interesting and influential man. It showed how he coped with his alcoholism, and how art was his escape. Jackson has greatly impacted the art world both during his life as well as many years later.