What's Pollock's Message?

With every art movement, and any movement for that matter, whether it be technological, cultural, populous-based, financially based, there becomes a clear underlying purposeful message. Of course, this message stands the test of time, meaning that it this message is developed over time by critics and the public. Also just because it is clear, does not exclude it from being debated.

For example, in regards to most modern art, which largely came after the developing of film and photography, there was a push to express what is subconscious and interpreted rather than what is seen and understood. In the article by Marshall McLuhan, he discusses how a medium is defined and the message that it produces. Within that McLuhan addresses how various producers of the medium can go with uniformity or against it, but is inevitably defined by it. Which leads to Jackson Pollock. Jackson Pollock has created numerous paintings, but most at first glance are just splotches of random paint on a canvas. With the arbitrariness to this style of painting, it would seem trivial that any of his paintings sell more then a dollar let alone millions.

However, as McLuhan states, the medium is the message....paint on canvas. Pollock's style of painting comes from two major factors. Firstly, Pollock always visualized what he wanted to see before he painted. Secondly, the message is so minimalistic that it only seems that the message paint on canvas holds is the aesthetic of such. Essentially, this would mean that Pollock created these paintings for the sake of being paintings. However, it is important to note that this is only one of many interpretations of art, so it would be naïve to exclude any other interpretations. As all art has many interpretations, so does the medium that defines it.

Attached is Jackson Pollock's No 5, which is valued at about 250-300 million dollars. Is this painting really worth 250-300 million $? How does one define the value of aesthetic, within that what separates Pollack's style from something like american romanticism or impressionism, which are typically reality based? These questions are just for thought, there are numerous answers, and more questions then answers to this question. However it is important to note that these questions are being asked, as they will to someday define what is produced in art, and other mediums today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._5,_1948