Jackson Pollock's Mural: The Transitional Moment

In Pollock's painting
do you see the draftsmanship
or only spilled paint?

Are transitional moments an in thing for art books? First it was Rothko's transitional decade and now Pollock's transitional painting, Mural, 1943. Called the most important American painting ever made, Mural not only prefaced Pollock's own signature drip style but its enormous size (20 x 8 feet) set the stage for all of abstract expressionism.

Mural recently completed two years of much needed restoration at LA's Getty Museum and is now on display until June 1 when it's due to return to its home, the University of Iowa. The Transitional Moment is about the painting's history and restoration, the latter consisting of hard core, almost forensic, science about the materials used down to the microscopic cross sectional detail.

If you just want to see the painting's amazing transformation, check out the before-after animation on Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes blog.

I received no compensation of any kind for this review.