Last Friday visiting artist and scientist Dr. Richard Taylor delivered a lecture at UAF on fractal expressionism, his term to describe the paintings of abstract expressionist action painter Jackson Pollock. Pollock had explained his splatter paintings as an on canvas, artistic expression of his feelings. Taylor, a physicist obsessed with the study of fractal math patterns, their occurrence and reoccurrence in nature, went on to demonstrate that Pollock’s paintings exhibited a fractal pattern quite similar to those found in tree branches or nerves.
While many would argue that Pollock’s splatters were the result of random chance, Taylor demonstrated that Pollock paintings are in fact quite specifically organized. He admitted that Pollock may not have understood or set out to create this specific mathematical pattern, though he must have found something pleasing in the result, because he created it in a fairly large series of work.
Taylor went on to explain his theory that the fractal pattern evidenced in Pollock’s paintings were likely the natural result Pollock’s process. He laid his canvas on the ground and painted from above. As he strained to reach out over the canvas, he introduced a state of imbalance, and the movements necessary to regain balance were traced by his drippings and fall into a specific fractal pattern. Pollock, being an alcoholic, had pretty bad balance. So specific were the patterns created that Taylor is able to use computer fractal analysis to distinguish authentic from fake Pollock paintings.
Pollock paintings, like other naturally occurring fractal patterns, are shown to reduce stress indicators in viewers. So if you ever get the chance, sit down in front of a Pollock, don’t worry too much about what it means, just relax, and let the fractals do the work.
Autumn Rhythm, 1950
