Number 15, 1948 (Primary Title)
Jackson Pollock, American, 1912 - 1956 (Artist)
“When I am in my painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing. It is only after a sort of get-acquainted period that I see what I have been about. I have no fears of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.” —Jackson Pollock
In late 1947, rather than using brushes and an easel, Pollock began pouring and dripping paint onto canvases placed on the floor. This was his artistic breakthrough. For Number 15, 1948, he laid down a black ground. Onto the wet surface, he poured white paint, which feathered and spread into the black. After establishing this rhythmic pattern, Pollock added accents of color in red, yellow, and blue. Number 15, 1948, like all of Pollock’s drip paintings, is full of energy and freedom, qualities that inspired the labels Abstract Expressionism and Action painting.
Jackson Pollock: Drip Paintings on Paper, C & M Arts, New York, NY, October 13 – December 11, 1993
Late 20th Century Works on Paper, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, February 18 – May 16, 1993
The Common Wealth, Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts, Roanoke, VA, December 1, 1990 – February 3, 1991
Andrew Wyeth: A Trojan Horse Modernist, The Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC, March 9 – April 15, 1984
Five Years of Collecting, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, March 25 – May 4, 1980
Alumni Collector Exhibition, Princeton University Art Gallery, Princeton, NJ, May 1 – June 15, 1972
St. Paul Gallery, St. Paul, MN, February - March 1949
Betty Parsons Gallery, New York, NY, January 12 – February 24, 1949
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.