This is a special painting. It has grey and yellow paint. The paint looks like a bird's nest. A man named Jackson Pollock made it. He used many colors. It is a very big work of art. Do you like the colors?
Jackson Pollock made a large painting. It is called No. 5, 1948. He used grey, brown, white, and yellow paint. The paint looks like a bird's nest.
He used liquid paint on a board. The board is very big. The paint was drizzled on it. This made many lines.
One time, the painting got hurt. A piece of paint fell off. Pollock fixed it by painting over it.
His new work had even more depth. The buyer liked the new look. It was a great work of art.
Jackson Pollock made a famous painting called No. 5, 1948. He was an American artist. He was part of a group called abstract expressionists. This group made art that does not show real things. Instead, they used shapes and colors to show feelings.
Pollock used liquid paint on a large board. The board is 8 feet by 4 feet. He used grey, brown, white, and yellow paint. He drizzled the paint to make many lines. Some people say the lines look like a dense bird's nest.
One time, the painting was damaged while moving. A lump of paint fell off the center. Pollock fixed it by painting the whole thing again. He said the new paint gave it more depth. The buyer liked the new look very much.
This painting is very special. In 2006, it sold for 140 million dollars. That was a record price for a painting. Many people still talk about it today. Even songs and movies mention this work of art.
Jackson Pollock made a famous painting called No. 5, 1948. He was an American painter. He belonged to a group called abstract expressionists. These artists did not paint things like trees or people. Instead, they used colors and shapes to show ideas. This specific painting is very important in art history. It shows how much skill it takes to make art.
Pollock worked on a large piece of fibreboard. This board is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. He used liquid paints to create his work. These were synthetic resin paints, also called gloss enamel. People often group them with oil paints. He drizzled the grey, brown, white, and yellow paint. This created many lines that look like a dense bird's nest.
A strange thing happened to the painting in 1949. It was being shown at the Betty Parsons gallery. During a move, the painting got damaged. A lump of paint fell from the center. The buyer, Alfonso A. Ossorio, noticed a smear on the surface. Pollock decided to fix the problem in a big way. He repainted the entire thing again.
Pollock's fix actually made the art even better. Ossorio saw the new version after three weeks. He said the painting had more richness and depth. The lines looked more complex and beautiful. The painting has changed hands many times since then. In 2006, David Geffen sold it for 140 million dollars. This was a record price for any painting.
Many people still talk about this artwork today. The Stone Roses band even mentioned it in a song. Their guitarist, John Squire, made art in a similar style. The painting also appears in the movie Ex Machina. In that film, a character uses the art to talk about ideas. It shows how art can make us think deeply.
No. 5, 1948 is a significant painting created by the American artist Jackson Pollock. Pollock was a key figure in the abstract expressionist movement. This movement focused on expressing emotions through non-representational forms. Instead of painting recognizable objects like trees or people, these artists used color and gesture. This specific work is a massive example of that style. It represents a major moment in the history of modern art.
The physical construction of the piece is quite specific. Pollock used a surface called fibreboard, which is also known as composition board. The dimensions of this board are 8 feet by 4 feet. To apply his colors, Pollock utilized liquid paints. Specifically, he used synthetic resin paints, which are a type of gloss enamel. In the world of art classification, these are often grouped with oil paints. He applied grey, brown, white, and yellow paint using a drizzling technique. This method creates a visual effect that many observers describe as a "dense bird's nest."
The history of this painting includes a dramatic moment of damage and repair. In January 1949, the work was displayed during a solo show at the Betty Parsons gallery. During this time, a collector named Alfonso A. Ossorio decided to purchase the piece. He paid $1,500 for the composition. However, the painting was damaged during the moving process. According to artist Grace Hartigan, a lump of paint fell from the center of the work. This occurred while the painting was being handled by a shipping company.
Pollock took action to address the damage before the painting reached its new owner. He used paint to patch the damaged area. Ossorio eventually noticed a smear on the surface of the work. He described it as a portion of paint that had slid, looking like the skin from the top of an opened paint can. This created a nondescript smear amidst the otherwise clear lines. Pollock offered to fix the error, but he chose a much more radical solution. He decided to repaint the entire work from scratch.
After three weeks of work, Ossorio visited Pollock's studio to see the result. He found that the painting had been completely redone on fibreboard. Rather than being upset, Ossorio was impressed by the new version. He noted that the painting possessed new qualities of richness and depth. He felt the original concept was still present but was now fulfilled by a new complexity. Ossorio described the finished work as a masterful display of disciplined vision and control.
Since its creation, the painting has become one of the most valuable artworks in the world. In May 2006, the painting was sold by David Geffen. Geffen was the founder of Geffen Records and a co-founder of DreamWorks SKG. The painting was sold in a private sale for $140 million. At that time, this was a record-breaking price for a painting. While there were reports regarding the buyer, a law firm named Shearman & Sterling clarified that a man named David Martinez did not actually own the painting. This sale marked a massive milestone in the art market.
No. 5, 1948 continues to influence popular culture and modern discussions. The musical group The Stone Roses included a reference to the painting in their song "Going Down." Additionally, the band's guitarist, John Squire, created cover art that mimicked Pollock's style. The painting also appears in the 2015 film Ex Machina. In the movie, a character uses the painting to discuss the nature of consciousness. He suggests that Pollock's art exists because he painted things he did not already know. This connects the artwork to deeper ideas about how we learn and perceive the world.
Where will your curiosity go next?
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.