“Sea Change” by Jackson Pollock at the Seattle Art Museum

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Artwork Identification
Analysis of Visual Elements and Design Principles
Contextual Analysis of the Artwork
Interpretation of the Painting
Evaluation and Conclusion
References

Introduction

Numerous museums across the USA present a massive volume of artistic works illustrating the development of art both domestically and globally. In particular, the Seattle Art Museum is a well-known reputable institution that owns and displays multiple prominent works of earlier historical periods and modernity. The building of the museum, its exterior, and interior strike a visitor with grand structures, unconventional designs, and space. Being submerged into the atmosphere of light and spacious halls of the museum, one is instantly exposed to an aesthetic experience. One of the most prominent works presented in the Seattle Art Museum is Jackson Pollock Sea Change paint.

The story that connects the painting to the museum is fascinating. It presents an important decision of key stakeholders that enabled the only Pollock’s painting in Washington State to be stored in the Seattle Art Museum (Seattle Art Museum, 2014). In 1958, this piece was donated to the Seattle Art Museum by an art dealer and patron, Peggy Guggenheim, the person who launched Pollock’s career in the 1940s (“Sea Change,” 2021). The painting impresses the viewer with its multiple physical and conceptual levels that align with Pollock’s style and trigger spectators’ reflection. The present paper aims at critically analyse Sea Change by Jackson Pollock from the perspectives of the medium characteristics, historical context, interpretive approaches, and biographical impact.

Artwork Identification

The analyzed artwork title Sea Change was created by an American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock in 1947. The medium of this artwork is a painting created using oil paint, with gravel, on canvas. The dimensions of the painting are 57 7/8 x 44 1/8 in. (147 x 112.1 cm) (“Sea Change,” 2021). The painting does not present a comprehensive visual matter such as an object, a landscape, or a figure. Instead, the artist uses abstract expressionist te4chniques to layer multiple colors of paint on the canvas. The analysts and interpreters of Pollock’s work at the Seattle Art Museum emphasize that the painting was created in two stages. Firstly, Pollock applied colorful paints of the canvas using conventional brush technique with canvas in a vertical position. It is seen that light-blue and salmon-red colors are dominating in the background (Seattle Art Museum, 2014). After that, the artist applied his style-indicating technique of dripping paint in motion with canvas placed on the floor. The colors of the thickly applied lines and curves on the surfaces of the first payer of the painting are black and dark brown. In addition, the black and dark-blue colors are contrasted with aluminum paint that is also applied on top of the painting made with a brush and oil.

A distinctive feature of the painting, which is observed in many other works of the artist, is the meticulous placement of gravel pieces into the thick dark paint (“Sea Change,” 2021). It creates texture and enhances the intentions of the artist to illustrate the unity of art with the realistic world of nature. Being a big picture, although relatively small in comparison with other prominent pieces of the artist, the painting provides viewers with an opportunity to perceive the image as a whole as well as in detail. When viewed attentively, the picture unveils the two layers of paint. The front myriad of web-like stripes and lines made in thick dark paint and gravel seems to be a veil that covers a bright and tempting picture underneath it.

Analysis of Visual Elements and Design Principles

Although the artist does not illustrate a matter in his painting as implied by abstractionism and expressionism, several pivotal elements of art allow the painter to reach his audience. The most important and central visual element in Sea Change is color. Indeed, the intricate interplay of bright blues, pinks, greens, oranges, and yellow on the background of the painting is obscured and contrasted with the silver, dark-brown, and black colors of the surface paint (Clyfford Still Museum, 2016). The values are created at the intersection of several colors. The elements of shape and form do not apply to this painting because it seems to reach beyond these limiting notions. Instead, the artist pursues infinity and metamorphic representation of his ideas by means of abstractionism (Opreanu, 2017).

The other two key elements in the painting are space and texture. Both are implemented with unconventional techniques; they create a multilevel depth to the surface of the canvas. Two layers of paint and the adding of gravel and other objects into the paint allow for the top layer to protrude, while the bottom one is to be presented as if at a distance. In such a manner, the artist creates a sense of depth and space using two levels of paint applied in different techniques. In addition, the spatial and depth characteristics are emphasized by the texture enhanced by gravel. Finally, lines are used freely with curves and turns, which are inherent in the dripping technique dominating the painting. Straight lines and shape-like images are implied from the fragmented pieces of the background picture that might be partially seen between the surface lines.

As for the principles of design that Jackson Pollock used when creating Sea Change, there are several that play a decisive role in the overall image. The most dominant one is the contrast that is achieved by combining light-silver aluminum paint with dark-brown and black. Also, the background interplay of colors is impacted by the contrast, which creates more depth and brightness of the artwork (Clyfford Still Museum, 2016). In terms of balance, there seems to be an asymmetric representation of the image with no intentional focal point. However, since the whole surface of the painting is covered with dripped paint, the overall artwork provides a sense of balance.

Gradually applied layers of dark colors and the addition of gravel create an atypical sense of rhythm and movement. In particular, the movement as a design principle is implied in the strokes and paint application techniques used by Jackson Pollock. When the eye follows the intricate traces of dripped paint, it stumbles over background images that contain geometrical figures, eyes, and other vaguely noticeable details (Clyfford Still Museum, 2016). The artist seems to intentionally avoid using the principle of pattern and emphasis to encourage viewers to be free in interpreting the expressiveness of the author.

Contextual Analysis of the Artwork

When analyzed within the context of the overall domain of Jackson Pollock’s works, Sea Change might be characterized as a transitioning piece. Indeed, as stated on the webpage of the Seattle Art Museum, in 1947, Pollock was at the beginning of his “dripping period,” where his work is characterized by an intersection of conventional application techniques and revolutionary style-defining ones (“Sea Change,” 2021, para. 1). Nonetheless, despite the impact of the transitioning period that provided a background for such complexity in the painting, the artwork logically fits into the array of paintings created according to the abstract expressionism style. While there is no vivid connection between the painting and the social, historical, or political context, there is a particular correlation with the artist’s personality.

As the author of Sea Change stated in one of his interviews, he intended to apply his dripping technique with horizontal canvas placement in combination with foreign matter used to be in the painting. In such a manner, Jackson Pollock was able to “express … feelings rather than illustrate them” (“Sea Change,” 2021, para. 5). In addition, as the title of the painting implies, the change is emphasized. Probably, the change in the style of the artist was overshadowed by the sea change that he wanted to portray in his painting. As stated by Opreanu (2017), the title of the painting was inspired by the poem written by Shakespear, where the forces of the ocean are illustrated. When placed in this context, the painting obtains a more structured interpretive perspective where the black stripes represent the surface of the water while the underlying painting is the obscured bottom of the ocean. Similarly, the gravel, glass, and other foreign matter placed on the top of the painting might represent the particles in the water as brought to the surface by a storm symbolizing change.

Interpretation of the Painting

I was fascinated by the painting when I first saw it. The depth and the contrast of colors create an illusion of presence, which the artist was so fond of. The obscured image in the background might symbolize the clarity of feelings and mind, while the layers of debris and a web of black lines represent the darkness of uncertainty. Since abstract expressionism is particularly involved with emotions and metaphysics, the painting appeals to the viewer’s internal experiences of self-knowledge. On the other hand, the metamorphosis implied by the word change in the title might refer to the mixture of two worlds at the intersection of transitioning from one stage to another.

Again, the uncertainty and vagueness of the image reflect the reality of life where there are no direct answers, and everything is subject to interpretation. Overall, in my opinion, the painting has an educational or developmental goal in addition to the aesthetic one. In particular, despite giving a visual pleasure of observing the interplay of color, texture, and lines, Pollock encourages the viewers to engage in the process of perception and search for detail. In such a manner, one is taught to reflect and emphasize one’s insights while experiencing art.

Evaluation and Conclusion

Given the analysis of the multiple attributes of the piece of art, one might conclude that the painting is a complex and aesthetically pleasing work of art. While no matter is precisely depicted in full form or shape, the uniqueness of Jackson Pollock’s dripping technique in combination with a conventional oil paint application creates an illusion of uncertainty of transition or change. The artist’s intention to express his feelings was communicated to the viewers through the complexity of techniques and the interplay of color, texture, depth, and contrast. This is one of the most valuable examples of the American abstract expressionist works that possess a depth of imagery and meaning by providing viewers with aesthetic quality.

References

Clyfford Still Museum. (2016). Conservation of Jackson Pollock’s Sea Change at the Seattle Art Museum [Video]. YouTube.

Opreanu, L. (2017). Full fathom five a whole world lies: Shakespeare, Pollock and beyond. Analele Universităţii Ovidius din Constanţa. Seria Filologie, 28(1), 36-47.

Sea Cange. (2021). The Seattle Art Museum. Web.

Seattle Art Museum. (2014). Conserving Jackson Pollock’s “Sea Change”[Video]. YouTube.

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