Untitled c. 1939 - 1940

This untitled sheet was made by Jackson Pollock using graphite and colored pencil. Look at the top left of the sheet, at the mask-like form. Notice the eyes: circular, but off-kilter, a little scary and a little funny. It's like Pollock is feeling his way through a whole bunch of different ideas. The paper isn't precious, it's a place to play. The physicality of the medium is evident – you can almost feel the scratch of the graphite and the drag of the colored pencil. The lines feel immediate, like they’re pulled straight from his subconscious. It feels like a conversation with himself. Think about another artist with an interest in automatic drawing like André Masson. The difference is that where Masson’s work feels decorative, Pollock's is raw and exploratory. Ultimately, Pollock's art invites us to embrace ambiguity. There’s no right way to read it, and that’s the whole point.