George Jackson

Key facts

Lived

1780–1811, British

Movements

• Expressionism
• Realism

• What is George Jackson's most famous work?+

  Jackson Pollock is best known for his radical approach to painting from 1947 to 1950. He moved the canvas from the easel to the floor and poured paint onto it from all sides. This technique, which he began using in 1947, involved spontaneous, energetic gestures, flinging paint in a way that captured the movements of his body. Pollock's innovative method resulted in what is known as his 'drip period'. During this time, he produced some of his most celebrated works, such as *Autumn Rhythm: Number 30, 1950*, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; *Lavender Mist: Number 1, 1950*, held at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; and *Number 32, 1950*, which is part of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen collection in Düsseldorf. These large-scale works exemplify Pollock's all-over composition style, in which no single point commands focus, and the image seems to exceed the canvas itself.
• What should I know about George Jackson's prints?+

  When considering George Jackson's prints, it is useful to know some basics about fine-art printmaking. An "original print" is conceived as a print from the start, and executed solely as a print, often in a numbered edition signed by the artist. Each print in the edition is an original, produced from a plate, stone, screen or block created for that purpose. There is no single "original" from which copies are made. Each print is inked and pulled individually; it is a multi-original medium. The number of prints in the edition is determined by the artist. Numbering accounts for the number of prints in the edition; each print has a specific number, such as 12/25 (print number 12 from an edition of 25). Early prints were often not numbered or signed; in some cases the artist might have signed the plate or stone itself, without a pencilled signature on each print. A reproduction (often called a print) has no connection to an original print. It is a copy of a work of art conceived by the artist in another medium (painting, watercolour, etc.). The reproduction is usually made by photomechanical means. Numbering and signing a reproduction does not change its essence; it is still a reproduction, not an original print.
• What style or movement did George Jackson belong to?+

  It is difficult to assign George Jackson to a single movement. The Expressionist movement, originating in Germany around the start of the 20th century, valued the depiction of subjective emotions using extreme forms. Artists associated with Expressionism include Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Vasily Kandinsky, and Edvard Munch. The term Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) was first used in 1923 to describe paintings grounded in reality. Two trends were identified: Verists, who satirised society (such as Otto Dix), and Magic Realists, who positively countered Expressionism (such as Christian Schad). Neo-Expressionism, in the late 1970s, saw artists reviving elements of German Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism. Georg Baselitz and Anselm Kiefer are considered primary figures. Fluxus, around 1961, was a subversive style that challenged understandings of art, aiming to upset bourgeois routine. George Maciunas was a central figure.
• What techniques or materials did George Jackson use?+

  George Jackson uses artist-quality oil paints, favouring a limited palette that he has maintained for many years, though he occasionally adds blues, yellows, or greens. He believes a restricted selection avoids unwanted complexities in the painting process. Jackson prefers hog hair brushes, both filberts and flats, ranging in size from small to large. He avoids synthetic brushes, finding they lack the springy resistance of hog hair against the canvas. He values well-worn brushes for their bluntness, which enables a broader application of oil paint and discourages excessively edgy marks. For grounds, Jackson uses gessoed MDF, primed canvas stuck to MDF, and primed canvas. He uses 6mm commercial MDF, which is light and rigid. He also uses cotton canvas with a fine weave, primed with three coats of acrylic gesso primer. Jackson primes and stretches his own canvases to ensure the quality he desires, viewing it as a preparation before painting.
• When did George Jackson live and work?+

  Paul Jackson Pollock was born on 28 January 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. He spent his childhood in Arizona and California. In 1928, he started studying painting at the Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. By autumn 1930, Pollock had moved to New York, where he studied with Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League. During the 1930s, Pollock travelled across the United States, but he spent much of his time in New York. He settled there permanently in 1935. From 1935 to 1942, he worked on the WPA Federal Art Project. In 1936, he participated in David Alfaro Siqueiros's experimental workshop in New York. Pollock's first solo exhibition was at Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century gallery in New York in 1943. Guggenheim gave him a contract, which lasted until 1947, allowing him to focus on painting. From autumn 1945, Pollock lived in The Springs, East Hampton, with his wife, Lee Krasner. He died on 11 August 1956, in The Springs, in an automobile accident.
• Where can I see George Jackson's work?+

  To view works attributed to George Jackson, consider visiting the institutions listed below. Keep in mind that availability of specific works may vary due to rotations, loans, and other factors. Confirm directly with the museum in advance. In the United States, you can find art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach), the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven), the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Philadelphia). In the United Kingdom, try the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), the Manchester Art Gallery, the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), and the Bakelite Museum (Williton).
• Who did George Jackson influence?+

  George Jackson's influence is most visible through the work of Emory Douglas, the Revolutionary Artist of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Douglas created the BPP's visual iconography and managed the layout, design, and overall production of their weekly newspaper. Douglas's art for the Black Panther newspaper, posters, and other media visualised the BPP's campaigns and ideology. His images included Panther warriors, community members battling the police, and, most notably, the image of the pig to represent the police. Douglas's art drew inspiration from Third World liberation struggles, particularly the poster art of Cuba, Vietnam, and Palestine. The Black Arts Movement, which included the BPP, introduced the idea that "high" art can be popular in form and content, and popular culture can be socially and artistically serious. Douglas's work, with its revolutionary message and accessible style, helped to spread the BPP's message and recruit new members.
• Who influenced George Jackson?+

  George Jackson, like Jackson Pollock, was influenced by the Mexican muralists, particularly José Clemente Orozco. Pollock viewed Orozco's mural *Prometheus* at Pomona College in 1930. A friend of Pollock's, Reuben Kadish, recalled that Orozco was the most admired and heralded figure among artists at the time. Kadish stated that Pollock went 'way overboard' on the *Prometheus* mural and that it 'sure does show in his painting'. Pollock also worked with Thomas Hart Benton at the New School. Frederick John de St. Vrain Schwankovsky, an art teacher, introduced Pollock to eastern religions, vegetarianism, and the teachings of Hindu philosopher Jeddu Krishnamurti. Pollock, along with Philip Guston, published a subversive newsletter, *The Journal of Liberty*, which protested faculty authority and the school’s emphasis on athletics. After being expelled, Pollock attended meetings where he learned about communism and the social realist art of Mexican muralists David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and José Clemente Orozco.
• Who was George Jackson?+

  George Romney (1734-1802) was a fashionable portrait painter during the late 18th century. Born in Dalton-le-Furness, he died in Kendal. Romney was considered an equal to Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds at one time. He is known for portraits such as Mrs Mary Robinson, ‘Perdita’ (1781), which is in the Wallace Collection, London. Mary Robinson was an actress who played Perdita in Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale. She had a brief affair with the Prince of Wales around the time Romney painted her. Other artists also painted her, including Gainsborough and Reynolds. After a visit to Rome, Romney wanted to paint historical works in the ‘Grand Style’. He made many preparatory drawings, but he never realised this ambition. Romney's popularity declined in the 1790s. He left London and returned to Kendal, where he died.
• Why are George Jackson's works important today?+

  George Jackson's work with the Black Panther Party (BPP) is historically important because it reflects the organisation's revolutionary goals during a period of intense social upheaval. As the BPP's “Revolutionary Artist”, Jackson (under the alias Emory Douglas) created the images, graphics, posters, and visual iconography for the BPP, and he was responsible for the layout, design, and overall production of the weekly newspaper. His art gave visual form to the party's ideology. His images addressed community control of the police, self-determination, housing, social services, and the end of imperialist wars. Jackson drew inspiration from Third World liberation struggles, such as those in Cuba, Vietnam, and Palestine. His work helped to create a revolutionary consciousness within the black urban working class. The Black Panther newspaper, featuring Jackson's art, reached a circulation of 50,000 copies per week and was distributed throughout the United States, Canada, the UK, France, Sweden, and China.
• What art movement was George Jackson part of?+

  George Jackson was associated with Expressionism and Realism.
• What is George Jackson known for?+

  Jackson is known for his paintings of animals. His works include portraits of horses, spaniels, and hounds set in stable interiors and pastoral settings.