Jackson Pollock
/ˌdʒæksən ˈpɒlək/
/ˌdʒæksən ˈpɑːlək/
- (1912-56) a US artist who was a leader of abstract expressionism. He developed a style of 'action painting', in which paint is dropped or thrown onto a large canvas (= rough cloth) placed on the floor or on a wall. He sometimes used sticks and knives instead of brushes. Pollock drank too much, had severe mental problems and was killed in a car crash. The film Pollock (2000) is an account of his life. In (2006) his painting No 5, 1948 became the world's most expensive painting to date when it was sold at a price of about $140 million.