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Jackson Pollock: the Myth of the Modern Artist

2025-06-13

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In 1949, Life magazine asked: “Is Jackson Pollock, the greatest American Painter. He is a figure that is polarising among art aficionados. Some see him as a fraud, others as a genius.

In this film I look at why he is so loved and hated at the same time, I look at just what Abstract Expressionism means, and I look at the myths surrounding Pollock and modern art itself. I look at his influences and I also look at a lesser known story, of how art became an unlikely player in the Cold War and the global contest of ideas. How Abstract Expressionism was enlisted as an unknowing agent in a shadowy propaganda war, bankrolled by the CIA, to sell the story of freedom… and capitalism.

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I would like to thank all my Patreon supporters, in particular Alan Stewart, Alexander Velser, Alyssa Phillips, AMSN, Anja Zeutschel, Bria Nicole Art, David Asabreu, Christa Sawyer, Eric Mann, Erique K, Francis Song, Griffin Evans, Hugo Moita, Jemma Theivendran, John Baer, Jon Hanzen, Julio Cardenas, Karim Hopper, Kibibi Shaw, Louise Tait, Monte St Johns, New Curiosity, Paul Ark, Paul Waterman, Sagar Saxena, Sean Welgemoed, Stefan Paisson, Stephen Beresford, Tanya Moore, Theresa Garfink, Toni Ko, Tyler Wittreich, and Will Dew's-Power.

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CREDITS

Script co-written by Laura Beardsell-Moore

Opening Animation and Title Sequence by Brian Adsit (instagram https://instagram.com/brian_vfx?utm_m... and Behance www.behance.com/badsit88)

Recording by Robert Lewis

VIDEOS

All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel do not claim any right over them.

MUSIC

BOOKS

Pollock by Leonhard Emmerling

Jackson Pollock by Deborah Solomon

Jackson Pollock by Steven Naifeh, Gregory White Smith

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.