The artwork “Number 10” is an exemplar of Action painting, created by artist Jackson Pollock in the year 1949. Employing a mixed technique on panel, the artwork measures 46.04 cm in height and 272.41 cm in width. Embracing an abstract genre, “Number 10” currently resides at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston, MA, USA. The painting epitomizes the dynamic nature of Pollock’s style, characterized by vigorous, unrestrained brushstrokes and a spontaneous, energetic approach to the creation of art.
The artwork is a vast panorama of color and form that stretches over two meters in width. Its surface is a complex web of drips, splatters, and strokes in a palette that includes grays, blacks, whites, and splashes of yellows and oranges. The viscerally applied pigment conveys a sense of depth and motion, as though capturing an instant in time where color and line converge in a chaotic but harmonious dance. The composition has no central focal point, inviting the viewer’s gaze to move freely across the canvas, engaging with the raw energy and rhythm that Pollock has infused into the work. Pollock’s technique, often involving the painting tool never touching the canvas, revolutionized the concept of painting and influenced the course of modern art profoundly. “Number 10” stands as a testament to the artist’s pioneering spirit and is a palpable representation of the emotions and action that define the Action painting movement.
