Comparison Of Jackson Pollock And Romare Bearden

The United States of America, a country rich in history and culture, is home to 327.8 million citizens from sea to shining sea (U.S. Census). There are certain commonalities held in all Americans, whether in the 1800s, 1900s, 2000s, on the east coast or the west. As seen in literature dating back to the Salem Witch Trials or the new jazz age in New Orleans, Louisiana, and even the artistic styles of Jackson Pollock or Romare Bearden, the common thread seen in all Americans is their curiosity, creativity and perseverance. The American identity, which is held true throughout history, art movements, music, and literature, is defined as being curious and creative, while persevering and evolving, whether as a nation, community or an individual

Both men share more than working in the same time frame, they both took creativity to the next level and showed great evolution in their styles, techniques and subjects. Jackson Pollock, born in Wyoming in 1912, actively created art from the 1930s to 1956 when he passed away. During his time in California, Pollock was expelled from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles before abandoning school so he could pursue art in New York City under his sibling’s art teacher, Thomas Hart Benton (Jackson Pollock). His most famous works were created in what is referred to as the “Drip Period” of the late 1940s, leading to a Life article spread, questioning if Pollock "[was] the greatest living painter in the United States?" (Jackson Pollock). When fame reached his head, Pollock fell into a depression, painting in black and white instead of his normal drip method and ultimately leading him to alcoholism and death. Romare Bearden was born in North Carolina in 1912 but spent a majority of his life in New York City, where he developed his craft, first in cartoons and more realistic images with religious undertones, then in pieces with surrealism and cubism styles, while working multiple jobs and studying science (Biography.com).

In an article for the New York Times entitled The Prehistory of Jazz: The Africanization of American Music, Ted Gioia discussed the history behind jazz music and its influence in music today, even describing New Orleans as a “cultural gumbo” of immigrants from all over the world, including the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, who all had influence over the music that “flourished as a result of [such a] laissez-faire environment” (Gioia). Many of these parts of the world have attributed to the jazz music known today, as well as “ soul, rap, minstrel songs, Broadway musicals, ragtime” (Gioia). As jazz music developed, it was influenced by the Great Depression of the 1930s, be-bopping of the 1940s, and even latin and afro-cuban jazz of the 1950s, with New Orleans being the place to be (History of Jazz). New Orleans, Louisiana is a mix of everything from freed slaves, people from the Caribbean, french speaking creoles and more (Stewart). The wide variety and mix of cultures in New Orleans at the time also contributed to the music created there. The evolution of creativity stemming from the wide variety of people in New Orleans has not only created a more accepting society, it has helped in creating the American cultural identity as being creative and evolving genres of music that now