Final Essays: Writing About Education and the Arts
1 Art Does not Have to be Realistic Caroline Mansilla I am focusing on a piece by Jackson Pollock named "One: Number 31," from 1950, which is part of the exhibit “Action Painting I,” displayed on the MoMA website. The piece is an abstract expressionist style painting with neutral colored paint splatter. The piece conveys an expression of chaos but with rhythm as ropes of paint cover the large canvas. This process of painting, called "action painting" or "gestural abstraction" allowed Pollock to apply colors and textures in a rhythm by moving his body through space while pouring the paint. I have been taking art classes since I was little but no matter how many I took, I was not able to draw or paint as realistic compared to my peers. This discouraged me in continuing to create art throughout my years in primary school. During my sophomore year of high school, my class introduced the unit of abstract art. I start...