Art?

Art?  Maybe.  Random paint splatters that my 8-year-old sister could do?  Definitely.  That might sound a little harsh, but those were my first thoughts when I looked at Jackson Pollock’s painting on page 85 of our textbook. Maybe I’m missing something, but when I look at Pollock’s paintings I don’t really sense any skill involved. I’ll admit that they do look neat. But that’s about as far as I’ll go with that.

I guess I should give him some credit for his creativity though, considering that his art is considered the beginning of “action painting.” He also added bits of random objects, such as sand, nails, and bottle shards, to the layers of his paintings, which is a creative way to add texture and make the paintings unique.

Pollock was expelled from 2 different high schools and struggled with alcoholism most of his life, so he obviously had some inner turmoil. Looking at his paintings, they seem like they could be the results of Pollock using painting as an outlet for frustration or troubled emotions. According to Pollock, each of his paintings had a life of their own, with him controlling their direction. Looking at it from that perspective, it’s possible that his paintings were not just random paint splatters, but rather his way of dealing with difficulties in his life. I suppose that that’s what art is really about. Not so much what we, the viewers, see, but the story behind the art.

I still don’t see much talent involved in Pollock’s works, but it’s quite possible that I’m missing something in my very limited knowledge and experience with art. What do you think?

Who needs words?

That was my first thought after viewing Lee Miller’s photography from the World War II concentration camp in Buchenwald, Germany. Lee Miller was an American model-turned-photojournalist who worked as the official war photographer for Vogue magazine during WWII. After the war and throughout the rest of her life, she suffered from episodes of severe depression, which was later diagnosed as post-traumatic stress syndrome. This is not surprising at all considering what she must have witnessed during her time as a war photographer. Some of the photos, including this one shown on page 68 of our textbook, are almost too painful to look at.

  

It’s hard to fathom that images this horrible can even be real. Yet when you look at them, they communicate more than would ever be possible with just words. Lee Miller's photographs from the Holocaust epitomize the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words." 

  

Photography is one art form that I believe can be appreciated by anyone. Although photos can be manipulated and used for bad intentions, there’s no denying the content of a pure, un-altered photograph. It’s an art form that usually doesn't require a lot of analyzing—the truth is right there before our eyes.