Jung and Jackson Sitting in a Tree…
Abstract Expressionism was set in motion post-World War II in New York during the 1940’s. Before the wave of Abstract expressionism came to be, the prominent global art movements (Geometric Abstraction, Cubism, Social Realism, Neo Plasticism, etc) were characterized with their universal mission of conveying an “absolute reality” separate from the artist’s psyche and more attached to a visual exploration of geometry and perspective. Abstract Expressionism was America’s first original art form and it hit New York City hard by providing refuge to those artists who felt the restrictions of the rigid geometric artistic movements. The Abstract Expressionist movement was inspired by the surrealist idea that art should come from the unconscious mind and it was marked by the impression of spontaneity: work belonging to this movement represented the raw inner pulses of the artist placed directly onto a canvas.
The Women of Algiers by Pablo Picasso, 1955, a prime example of Cubism
There is a strong connection between the philosophy behind Abstract Expressionism and Carl Jung’s practice. Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst whose explanation of the creative process, the psyche, and the collective consciousness, provided a fertile ground of understanding that directly relates to the philosophy of spontaneity that categorizes Abstract Expressionism. The collective Unconscious is a concept that refers to the idea that a segment of the deepest unconscious mind is genetically inherited and is not shaped by personal experience. Jung advocated art as one of the primary means to activate the unconscious, he gave it a very prominent role in the human experience and believed that art could help an artist in their process of self-discovery and re-creation.
“I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own.”
A supernova of the Abstract Expressionist movement who can demonstrate Jung’s theories in his art is Jackson Pollock. Pollock moved to New York to pursue art in 1930 and was introduced to the use of liquid paint in 1936. From that point on, he began painting with his canvases laid out on his studio floor- developing his “drip” technique. This “drip” style was Pollock's road to freedom from context-rooted depictions: by distancing his work from illustration, the physical properties of the painting and the importance of the singular strokes of paint reach a higher significance. His drip paintings were brought to life, not by a story, but by the medium and tools used to create the piece. This approach to art was grounded in anthropology as it encapsulated Pollock’s primitive instincts: his fast movements created a rhythmic community of lines and dots that embodied his consciousness.
Jackson Pollock in front of ‘Summertime: Number 9A’ for LIFE magazine, 1949
“Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn’t have any beginning or any end. He didn’t mean it as a compliment, but it was.”
Pollock drew much of his anthropological approach to painting during his time undergoing Jungian psychotherapy in 1938-1941 after battling alcoholism. Jungian concepts are explicitly conveyed in Pollock's work as the drip paintings were a more mature representation of subconscious spirits and the primal spirit of man. Jung maintained that modern man had lost contact with himself because he was removed from his primitive roots- Pollock's paintings allowed him to tap into this primal and most unconscious self and express it in visual form.
Hans Namuth, selected Images of Jackson Pollock painting, 1950
“The strangeness will wear off and I think we will discover the deeper meanings in modern art.”
Pollock’s role as an artist has been popularly described by art critics as “myth-maker.” This title is derived from the notion that Pollock’s art was truly autonomous and separated from any socialized or politicized intentions, rather it was sheerly an echo of Pollock's subconscious. Pollock spoke of his artistic process by saying: “I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, etc, because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well.” Another feature of Pollock's working process which allows him to express his interior imagery is the absence of a barrier between him and his creative activity: Pollock, in fact, did not plan a painting in advance, but rather went straight to the canvas. Thus, he was liberated to authentically demonstrate the raw state of his humanity detached from any exterior context.
“Blue Poles” by Jackson Pollock
“When I am in my painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing.”