Zen Principles in Pollock’s Art

When a painting is interpreted as index and legisign, it refers to the previous theories that can contribute to understanding of the hidden unconscious. Pollock was influenced by nature (Namuth 1978, 9–11;

Spring 1998, 54, 71), which also plays an important role in Zen art.

In Zen art, nature is seen as limitless and spiritual and possesses a sort of eternal life along with an uncontrollable character. Zen artists seek to become one with nature, to assimilate into it (Awakawa 1970, 20–23; Brinker 1987, 46). Not being artificial, and being as one origi-nally was, can confirm the belief that the natural is the truly original way of being (Hisamatsu 1971, 57). Nature is dynamic and constantly

changing, and one of the techniques of Zen painting involves becom-ing one with dynamism through spontaneously painted lines (West-geest 1996, 20).

Pollock’s mystical curiosity with nature can be tracked to his youth.

Frank A. Seixas (2000, 217) wrote in 1963:

Jackson’s paintings had reminded me of one aspect of this—the microscopic structure of the nerve cell with its expanded neurons extending out to the filament-like axons and dendrites. This thought made it possible for me to enjoy his paintings, because it captured a part of nature, unlike the angular and architectural fragments of other non-objective painters. . . . He had a mystical sense that he had dis-covered something intuitively; that he had seen as a microscope does and that in nature everything is open to those who put themselves in the position of receptiveness to it. He told me of seeing in a rock or a tree many things that others had not.

Justin Spring (1998, 84) wrote that in earlier years, the painting, not the artist, was of primary importance. In the films Hans Namuth shot of Pollock’s painting process, people could see the physical enactment of an action painting. The film was finished and ready for distribu-tion, and in June 1951, the Museum of Modern Art screened the color film of Pollock painting; that film was shown again in August of that year at an art film festival in Woodstock, New York (Namuth 2000, 268). Namuth’s film included a spoken narration by Pollock in 1951, which now put a greater emphasis on how he controlled the work, without accidents:

I don’t work from drawings or color sketches. My painting is direct.

I usually paint on the floor. I enjoy working on a large canvas. I feel more at home, more at ease in a big area. Having canvas on the floor, I feel nearer, more a part of a painting. This way I can walk around it, work from all four sides and be in the painting, similar to the Indian sand painters of the West. Sometimes I use brush, but often prefer

a stick. Sometimes I pour the paint straight out of the can. I like to use a dripping, fluid paint. I also use sand, broken glass, pebbles, string, nails or other foreign matter. The method of painting is the natural growth out of need. I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.

When I am painting I have a general notion as to what I am about. I can control the flow of the paint; there is no accident, just as there is no beginning and no end. Sometimes I lose a painting. But I have no fear of changes, of destroying the image, because a painting has a life of its own. I kind of let it live. This is the first time I am using glass as a medium. I lost contact with my first painting on glass, and I started another one (Namuth and Falkenberg 1978, 1).

To better comprehend what might be behind Pollock’s art, it is valu-able to explain Zen art principles. Hisamatsu (1971, 72) wrote that Zen art is similar to Expressionism, because it expresses the infinite depths of the formless self. Pollock maintained that the source of his imagery was the unconscious mind (Pollock 1999, 15–18). In Eastern philosophy, a spiritual source of Zen art is from Buddhism from India and it is close to the concept of the Tao. Chinese thought regarding the Tao has two basic themes: first, the unity and interrelation of all phenomena, and second, the dynamic nature of the universe as a whole.

All phenomena—people, animals, plants, and objects—are aspects of a single unity (Bolen 1979, 4–5; Brinker 1987, 11). Native American culture shows the same respectful attitude toward nature (Villasenor 1966, 22, 58–61), and the concept of unity is extremely important. For the Native American, the physical and spiritual worlds are connected.

Silence is the language of the spirit and the condition of silence is referred to as the absolute self. In that state, the truth can enter to fill the empty mind. The soul merges with creation, and self is forgotten, to become one with joy and happiness (Villasenor 1966, 22, 58–61).

Japanese author Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870–1966) wrote that two worlds exist—a world of sense and intellect and a world of spirit (Suzuki 1946, 67). The spiritual world belongs to the Native American and Asian values. Furthermore, the aim of reaching higher

conscious-ness is part of both of these cultures. Asians have always believed that the unconscious is found in a higher level. According to Jung (1980, 282), what in Indian philosophy is called the higher conscious-ness corresponds to what in the West is called the unconscious. Fur-thermore, as Villasenor (1966, 93–94) asserted, the American Indian thinks with his heart, and the spiritual heart is the seat of inner mys-tery. A spiritual life will carry the soul to joyful heights. Concern-ing the spiritual balance of Native Americans, Villasenor (1966, 104) wrote that “It is good for man to have his head in the clouds, and let his thoughts dwell among the eagles, but he must remember also that the higher the tree grows into the sky, the deeper the roots must pen-etrate into the heart of Mother Earth.”

Zen art is done in intense liveliness with a foundation of complete rest. In the Japanese school of Sumi-e, the characteristic painting style is done as if a whirlwind possessed the artist’s hand. Zen artists are not allowed to make a rough sketch; instead, they must make an art-work in just a few moments, committing their inspiration to paper while it is still alive. Yet even with all this suddenness and immediacy, the artist must remain peaceful and eliminate nonessentials. Of basic importance are the secret of concentration and the knowledge of how to use the right amount of energy (Watts 1982, 106–7). The idea is not to run away from life but to run with it (Watts 1982, 58).

There are no unified Zen painting styles and no generally valid formal guidelines. Zen painting exhibits a wider spectrum of artis-tic manifestations, methods, techniques, themes, forms, and styles than is commonly recognized in published literature (Brinker 1987, 20). However, emptiness is a common characteristic in Zen art, even though empty space is never lifelessly empty, as is demonstrated by the structure of Japanese paper or the raked gravel in Zen gardens (West-geest 1996, 20). Moreover, Zen art is not about complexity but about simplicity and asymmetry (Hisamatsu 1971, 54–55). Pollock’s The Deep partakes of this feeling of emptiness, simplicity, and asymmetry.

5.2.2.3. Inspirations from Indian Sand Paintings, Jazz, and Literature