Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), Number 30 (Birds of Paradise), 1949
Oil, enamel, and aluminum paint on paper mounted on board, 31 × 22 1/2 in. Promised Gift to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. © 2026 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Jackson Pollock wrote in 1947, “The source of my painting is the unconscious.” He further explained, “When I am in my painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing. It is only after a sort of ‘get acquainted’ period that I see what I have been about. I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.”