(1912 – 1956) Renowned abstract expressionist painter. He departed wildly from pre-war painting conventions, and yet was perhaps as well known for his chaotic, impassioned life. His acclaim and artistic style—dripping and staining paint, using hard brushes and sticks in broad sweeps atop large canvases laid on the floor—as a way to unravel a purer form of expression and emotionality helped to move the center of the art world from Paris to New York. In 1945 he married the painter Lee Krasner and his tumultuous career took off for a number of years, in part due to the support of critic Clement Greenberg. His work fell out of favor with the ascension of pop art, but recent art shows have restored Pollock’s enduring importance.