Skip to Main Content
Lesson Plan Image

A Splatter, a Blob, a Swirl: The Art of Jackson Pollock

Encourage freedom of expression with this activity focused on the art of Jackson Pollock.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Marbles
  • Paper Towels
  • Recycled Cardboard
  • White Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Display images of Jackson Pollock's paintings. Ask students to discuss how the images make them feel and how they think he created them. Encourage discussion of color, line that shows movement, and feelings.

  • Step 2

    Read about Jackson Pollock ("Action Jackson" by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan is one suggestion). Why do students think Jackson Pollock's paintings created such a controversy when they were first exhibited?

  • Step 3

    Invite students to create paintings by experimenting freely with lines, movement, and color in a style similar to Pollock's.

  • Step 4

    Have students experiment with "marble painting." Place a piece of white paper in the bottom of a shallow box and drop blobs of colored paint on it. Then drop a marble or small ball into the box and roll it around. As it rolls through the puddles of paint, it will create trails of color across the paper. Follow up with a second color and a clean marble. Ask students if their art resembles Pollack's.

  • Step 5

    Display student work and encourage observation and discussion. Ask students to write about their experience. What did they think of Pollock's paintings when they first saw them? How did they feel after trying this painting technique themselves? How did they feel about the results? What observations did they make about the class exhibit? Do different color combinations create different feelings?

Standards

ARTS: Analyze how the arts reflect changing times, traditions, resources, and cultural uses.

ARTS: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

LA: Cite specific evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the illustrations and text.

LA: Write using words, numbers, and images to inform and explain, share experiences, and create narratives, either fictional or non-fictional.

Adaptations

Play various types of music and ask students to describe how each piece makes them feel. How might these auditory experiences be translated into art? Discuss artistic elements such as color and motion.

Explore other artists and artistic periods that were controversial when they were first introduced, for example, Man Ray and Picasso. How would students describe the styles of expressionists, impressionists, cubists, and other abstract artists? Why do things that are new or different often create controversy?