20th Century Modern Art: Pollock vs Warhol Art Comparison Essay

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Jackson Pollock's Abstract Expressionist painting, 'One: Number 31,' and Andy Warhol's Pop Art piece, 'Campbell's Soup Cans.' It explores the historical context of Abstract Expressionism, originating in post-World War II New York, and Pop Art, which emerged in the mid-1950s, highlighting their influences from leftist politics and mass culture, respectively. The essay examines the artists' techniques, such as Pollock's action painting and Warhol's use of mass-produced imagery, and how they represent the tension between individualism and mass production. It also delves into the artists' perspectives on the role of art and the artist in society, contrasting Pollock's focus on radical abstraction with Warhol's emphasis on popular culture and mass appeal.

Module 4 – Case
20th Century Modern Art
Student
[Pick the date]

Comparing Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31 with Pop Artist
Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans.
The history of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art and the artists
Abstract expressionism was an art movement in the American painting after the World War 2.
This originated in New York in the 1940’s. The aim of this movement was to achieve the
international influence and place the city of New York at the center of the western art world
(Cockroft, 2013). The artists of the Abstract Expressionism were influenced by the leftist politics
of the era and they valued the art that was grounded in the personal experience. The artists in this
period were mostly avant-gardists who were outspoken, and they protested from the margins.
The subjects that were picked in the Abstract Expressionism were related to social realism and
the Regionalist movement (Cockroft, 2013).
One of the artists of this period was Jackson Pollock. The artist explored the Abstract
Expressionism via the action pieces and the splatter. The painter poured the paint and the other
media onto the canvases directly. The liquid paint was introduced by him in the year 1936
(O’Hara, 2015). Number 31 is a three wall-size painting made by Pollock that represent tension
in the landmark in the history of Abstract Expressionism.
Pop Art was another art movement that began in the mid-1950's in Britain and in late 1950’s in
the US. The main characteristic of this art was that the material was visually separated from the
known context and it was combined with some other material that was not related to it (The Art
Story, 2016). This art was influenced by the mass culture of advertising, comic books or the
other cultural objects that were mundane. The technique used in the Pop Art was the usage of the
images of the popular art culture and the banal, and the kitschy elements of the culture were

emphasized. This is done by using the irony. The techniques that the artists use here are the
mechanical means of rendering and reproduction.
Andy Warhol’s Campbell was born in 1928 in Pittsburgh. He was an illustrator of magazine and
ads. There were many art forms where he ventured like the filmmaking, installations of the
videos, the performance art etc. the artist burred the lines between the fine art and the
mainstream aesthetics in a controversial way (Biography.com, 2016). The soup cans painted by
him rely on themes from popular culture. They helped to usher in pop art as a major art
movement in the United States.
The ways these artists represent the tension between individualism and mass production
The artist Jackson Pollock invented the action painting in which the paintings were made by
applying the paint to the canvas by placing it on the floor. The canvas was placed in very
different ways like the artist dripped the canvas, squeezed it, splashed paint, used syringes,
cutting methods, etc. to do the painting. He even rode a bicycle over the painted canvas
(O’Hara, 2015). This shows that the artists used his own original ways and self-expression to
paint the canvass and his paintings represented individualism in a unique way.
But, Warhol replaced the tradition of the fine art that was built around uniqueness, self-
expression, and individuality. In place of this, he created an art where the looks, methods and the
logic of the mass production and mass media were applied to the artwork. The artwork often
depicted those products that were mass-produced like the soup cans. There are 32 soup cans in
his artwork that show that these are produced in bulk. He believed that success of the art is a
gimmick and by using the vibrant colors and attractive depictions, the painting or the artwork can
become popular (Ketner, 2013).

This is how Jackson Pollock and Warhol represent the tension between individualism and mass
production
The artworks approach questions as to the role of the artist and the role of art in society
As per Warhol, the role of art is to make the people feel more retro than revolutionary. So, he
used many colors and depictions in his work. Art helps in exploring the relationship between
expressions, culture, and advertisements and connect the people to the rest of the world.
But, Pollock believed that art was all about developing the radical; abstract styles in which the
line from the color is detached, the categories of drawing and paintings are redefined, and new
means are found to create the pictorial space. The role of the artist is to give a new perspective to
the people of making the painting like the artist makes the paintings by placing the canvas on the
floor.

References:
The Art Story. (2016). Pop Art Movement, Artists and Major Works. [online] Available at:
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-pop-art.htm [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016].
Biography.com. (2016). [online] Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/andy-warhol-
9523875 [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016].
Cockroft, E., 2013. Abstract expressionism, the weapon of the Cold War.
Ketner, J.D. and Warhol, A., 2013. Andy Warhol.
O’Hara, F., 2015. Jackson Pollock. Pickle Partners Publishing.