14. Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)
Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) is one of the most notable works, painted in 1950, by the Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock. It is emblematic of his poured painting phase, which lasted from 1947 to 1952. In this phase, Pollock quite literally dripped and poured paint onto his canvasses to create the chaotic, patternless style.
For Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), Pollock placed the canvas on the ground of his backyard studio in New York. Instead of brushes or pouring paint directly from the container, Pollock used non-traditional items including sticks, masonry trowels, and knives to drip the paint onto the canvas. It was reportedly fascinating to watch Pollock paint as he would tune out everything around him and furiously attack the canvas until he was satisfied with what he saw.
The CIA formally backed Pollock’s art through their Congress for Cultural Freedom initiative. The initiative was started to fund and promote artwork that embodied the values of the United States and played a role in the cultural front of the Cold War. Therefore, some scholars have argued that Pollock was a weapon of the cold war and his art was used to devalue and distract from works of Socialist Realism.