Jackson, Pollock. Convergence, 1952

Jackson Pollock's pieces have to be considered some of the most iconic works of American art in the 20th century. In a relatively short career Pollock created a style devoid of linear form but full of emotion. Growing up in the American West, Pollock was influenced by Mexican muralists and their intense use of paint. Pollock was also influenced by the human mind and the idea of "automatic painting" as a way to express the subconscious. He perfected the "drip" technique , by which he would place the canvas on the floor and in an artistic frenzy would pour, drip and splash paint onto the canvas. I view his works as pure expression, with out any distinct meaning. They are an expression of the subconscious, and affect the viewer on a deeper more emotional level. When I look at his works I feel a myriad of emotions from tension to anger to elation. Pollock's paintings affect the viewer through emotion rather than meaning.

Claude Monet, Nympheas 1907

Monet was one of the founding members of impressionism, and probably its most well known member. With the other members of the movement he helped formulate the basis of the movement. The key principle of impressionism is to paint by looking at color instead of line or form. The color defines the form. Monet would look at spots of color and paint each spot. The overall form of the object is of secondary importance. In the case of Nympheas above, this creates creates soft outlines which give the painting a dreamlike quality. Light is also very important in Monet's work. Monet's unique contribution to impressionism is his "series" work, in which he would paint the same subject at different times of day to capture the changing light. In all of Monet's work his real goal was to capture light and color in a way which broke a scene down into its visual essence.