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Book Review By Jack Goodstein
Jackson Pollock: An American Saga by Steven Naifeh

Jackson Pollock as born the youngest of five brothers to a strong willed woman who managed to drive his father out of the house. He seems to have turned to drawing as much because his oldest brother was an aspiring artist as for any other reason. There is a good deal of information about Pollock's ancestors, his family, his work with Thomas Hart Benson and the New York art scene in the thirties and forties. The most important part of his life however came with his development of the technique of drip painting. The book has many reproductions of Pollock's work. A good deal of space is given to his relationship with Lee Krasner and his problems with alcohol.


Plot & Themes
job/profession:
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Period of greatest activity? - 1950+

Subject of Biography
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - American

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast - California
Century: - 1930's-1950's

Writing Style
Book makes you feel? - thoughtful
Pictures/Illustrations? - A ton 16-20 B&W
How much dialogue in bio? - little dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 51%-75% of book
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