The artwork titled “Composition (White, Black, Blue and Red on White)” was crafted by artist Jackson Pollock in 1948. It is executed using a mixed technique on masonite and is a prime example of the Action painting movement, a subset of abstract expressionism. The artwork falls within the genre of abstract art, which emphasizes the visual language of shape, color, and line to create compositions independent of visual references in the world.
Upon observation, the artwork displays a complex, energetic tangle of colors and forms. Pollock applied paint in a variety of ways – dripping, splashing, and smearing – which resulted in a dynamic interplay of lines and shapes. The colors used are predominantly white and black, with powerful accents of blue and red scattered throughout the composition. These colors appear to float and intertwine over the neutral background, creating depth and movement. Pollock’s method of painting directly on the horizontal surface allows the viewer to feel a sense of immediacy and raw expression, as if witnessing the artist’s movements and gestures suspended in time. The absence of a central focal point causes the eye to move continuously across the canvas, engaging with the rich textures and forms that define this composition.
