Jackson Pollock, Red composition, 1946

Created in 1946, Red Composition is a crucial work in Jackson Pollock’s artistic evolution, marking his transition from earlier Surrealist-inspired abstraction to the groundbreaking drip painting technique that would define Abstract Expressionism. This painting exemplifies Pollock’s move toward pure gestural abstraction, where line, movement, and emotion take precedence over traditional composition.

The dominant red background in Red Composition creates an intense, almost chaotic atmosphere, contrasting sharply with black, white, and ochre splatters and drips that cover the canvas in an unpredictable yet organic pattern. This work demonstrates Pollock’s developing technique of dripping, pouring, and splattering paint, which would soon lead to his fully realized “all-over” compositions, where no single focal point dominates the canvas.

By 1946, Pollock had already begun experimenting with automatism, a method influenced by Surrealism, where the artist allows the unconscious mind to dictate movement. The spontaneous energy in Red Composition reflects this approach, as his brushwork and gestures create a sense of rhythm and urgency. The painting also showcases influences from Mexican muralists, European modernists, and Native American sand painting, all of which shaped Pollock’s distinctive, free-flowing visual language.

This work was produced shortly before Pollock’s famous “drip period” (1947–1950), where he would abandon the easel and work with industrial paints on large-scale canvases, laying them on the floor to immerse himself physically in the act of painting. Red Composition is a direct precursor to these radical techniques, bridging the gap between his earlier structured compositions and the revolutionary action paintings that would make him one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

Today, Red Composition is regarded as a pivotal moment in Pollock’s career, capturing the raw intensity, emotional depth, and innovative spirit that would define his legacy.