Review of Art Movie: Film "Pollock"

by Elissa Watters August 30, 2012

The Life of the Drip Painting Artist

by Elissa Watters, guest blogger

"Pollock," 2000

If you have never seen the film “Pollock,” directed by Ed Harris and released in 2000, it may be time to rent/stream this incredible film! “Pollock” tells the at times heartwarming, at times depressing story of Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), a key artist in the abstract expressionist movement and one of the most famous American painters of all times.

In the film, Ed Harris plays the role of the temperamental Pollock, and Marcia Gay Harden plays Lee Krasner, Pollock’s wife. Both actors are brilliant, realistic and gripping. In fact, Harden won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Ed Harris was nominated for Best Actor.

Film still from "Pollock"

Harris, Harden and the rest of the cast bring Pollock’s story to life. We watch the phases of Pollock’s alcoholism, his search for his unique style (drip painting), his struggle to become known in the art world, and his relationships (e.g. with Lee Krasner and Peggy Guggenheim).

In parts, the film can feel slow, but this pacing seems deliberate, possibly meant to give the viewer a window into Pollock's personal experience. In the end, you walk away feeling as if you have traveled back to the 1940s and 50s and met Pollock himself.

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Discover all the artists inspired by Pollock found on @etsy today!