Jackson Pollock

by Deborah Solomon

Deborah Solomon's biography sets Jackson Pollock in his time and portrays him as a shy, often withdrawn person, full of insecurities and self-doubts, and frequently unable to express himself about his art or its meaning. Solomon interviewed two hundred people who knew Pollock and his work and she has drawn extensively on Pollock's own writings and other personal papers. She examines the artist's relationships with his family; his wife and fellow artist Lee Krasner; art patron Peggy Guggenheim; the painters Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, and many more.

Genres: Biography, Art, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Deborah Solomon (born August 9, 1957, New York City) is an American art critic, journalist and biographer. She writes primarily for The New York Times and her weekly column, "Questions For," ran in The New York Times Magazine from 2003 to 2011. Her art reviews appear on WNYC Radio.

Solomon was born in New York City and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. Her parents, Jerry and Sally Solomon, owned an art gallery. She was educated at Cornell University, where she majored in art history and served as the associate editor of The Cornell Daily Sun. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1979. The following year, she received a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Solomon began her career writing about art for various publications, including The New Criterion. For most of the 1990s, she served as the chief art critic of The Wall Street Journal. She has written extensively about American painting, and is the author of several biographies of American artists, including Jackson Pollock and Joseph Cornell. Solomon was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2001 in the category of biography.

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good biography of Pollock which shows his good and bad sides without exaggerating his psychological issues or overplaying his alcoholism. She does make a really good case that his art was at its best when he was sober. Solomon also does a good job portraying Krasner without either showing her art too much (it's not her biography) or too little attention.

[Victoria Nicholson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read through this book very fast perhaps skimmed parts.It had good
information on Pollock that was hopefully accurate.The writing is terse
and journalistic for a biography of a abstract-exspressionist painter.
I found the writing relaxing and easy to read.As Faulkner commented
on Hemmingway it did not send me to the dictionary.Sometimes that
style is a good relaxing read.

[Mary Stephanos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography offers a good, general introduction to Pollock, his work, and his psychological torment. It appears to present a clear and balanced portrait of the artist, but it does feel slim in content. For anyone interested in Pollock, this book is a good start.

[janicec100 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was better than the biography I recently read about Lee Krasner, his wife. I liked this one. You get a real sense of the person, Jackson Pollock, complete with all the demons he battled in his short life. Thanks Lily T for loaning me this book!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of details and an enormous sense of desperation. Sad but probably really accurate...? It wasn't super interesting to me, mainly factual.

[Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite artist of all time!! Had to give him 5 stars!

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bleh

[Marsmannix · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you like (or hate) Jackson Pollock read this, then watch the movie with Ed Harris