A Fork in The Road: Alchemy
7:00 AMA Fork in The Road
Decisions Made in Art
Curated by Sydney Reed
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| Jackson Pollock, Alchemy, 1947 |
Art is an
integral part of world history. Without portraits, certain world leaders and
figures would lack a face to their name, battles would lose color, texture, pain
and specific details as time passed, and rebellions would lose their propaganda.
Art has the capability to capture decisions in certain moments of time and
ensure that they are never forgotten, and share the feelings of the original
participants in that moment.
In 1945, the nature of warfare changed forever. The decision to drop the atomic bomb shocked the world, leading some to clap and others to cower. No longer would old tanks and submarines be the ultimate threat of war - nuclear warfare took over the scene, giving supreme power to countries with the weapon, and inflicting fear and tension upon all countries.
The decision to drop the bomb was represented through newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, and art – including photography and paintings. The photos showed the physical reality of the destruction, causing the viewer to feel the wrath of the bomb, while paintings, such as those by Pollock, rather illustrated the anxieties felt by the viewers due to the bomb. The harsh layers of contrasting bright and dark colors allude to the rubble of the weapon and the physical chaos it created, while simultaneously illustrates the mental anxieties felt by the worlds’ inhabitants. According to Kirk Varnedoe, “Pollock created an art into which a lot of people projected a lot of anxieties of the post-war era. They felt that this war was savage, violent, apocalyptic in a way that they felt was attuned to the age of the bomb.” No portion of the painting is peaceful, nowhere is there a place to rest your eyes. Strikes of colors lead every which way, adding to the chaos of the painting that provides no solace – only anxiety. Alchemy, along with other Pollock paintings, portrays a momentous historical decision and the chaos and anxiety that decision created.
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