Even as a high school student in the 1920s, understood the value of art and culture. The young upstart and his friends caused a “classroom scandal” when they published a polemic criticising their school’s “overemphasis on athletics” and “disrespect” of the humanities. They called it the Journal of Liberty, implying that they saw humanities and the arts as essential for realising the American ideal.
This episode is described early in , a new book by journalist and first-time author Tom McIlroy. The colourful volume retraces the life and work of the groundbreaking, deeply flawed artist and his distinctive “all-over” style of painting. It also retells the story of the Australian government’s decision in 1973 to purchase one of the most iconic of Pollock’s works, (1952), in an effort to drag a nation “from adolescence to some kind of cultural maturity”.
These are disparate stories that, when placed in the same frame, show us how much art and culture matter, and how scandalous they can be. Inner demons and visual depths Pollock was born in Wyoming in 1912, the youngest of five brothers, all of whom were creatively inclined. His childhood was characterised by movement and disruption, both reflected in his later artistic style.
Pollock was plagued by “inner demons”, as McIlroy puts it, resulting in intense moods, alcoholism, marital disharmony and infidelity. These things mattered, not just in his creative process, but in his relationships. They led to .
