Monday, April 16, 2012

Weekly Assignment: Bob Ross & Jackson Pollock

Consider these videos of artists at work. Think about what you see and what each artist says. What similarities and differences do you see in their styles, approaches, and philosophies?

Bob Ross
 

Jackson Pollock

16 comments:

  1. A large difference in the way these artist talk is that one is instructional and the other is describing his own personal way. Bob Ross says everything as "you can.......". When Jackson Pollock talks he is talking about what he does and not saying what you should do. i think this is an important difference because you are supposed to think anyone can paint like bob ross and there is only one jackson pollock. This is also interesting because there is a cliche/joke about people looking a Jackson Pollock and saying anyone could do that. i think that is because his paintings are less about technical virtuosity and more about something else that i don't really know.

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  2. I like how Bob Ross says “Where do you want it to go???....doesn't matter.” His painting is very precise and realistic, yet he is very non-nonchalant about it.........Pollock is puzzling.....I am confused byu his statement when he says "When I am painting I have a general notion to what it is about"...but then he goes on to describe he "can control the flow of the paint. It is no accident".......as if to say his painting is SPECIFIC....yet he has a GENERAL idea.......I don't know...Im confused......What do you guys think????????/


    I love how Ross's paintings are Landscapes and he is so casual and fun about it (you can tell he is using his imagination).......where as Pollock's painting are INCREDIBLY abstract, yet he is very serious and diligent about his painting (regarding the way he speaks about his work and watching him work)

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  3. I think that both painters have very different styles, but the main difference is that Jason Polluck's interest is in the feeling or emotion behind what he is painting, and Bob Ross's interest is in painting what he see's and how realistic he can make his interpretation of the landscape or whatever he is painting. I understand what Turner is saying with the Specific/General thing, and I think that when Ross says "where do you want it to go?" he means like it's up to you to decide how you'd like this mountain to look but here are techniques to make it look realistically like a general mountain, and when Polluck's painting his "general notion of what it is about" I think is that he has a certain feeling or maybe theme or topic in mind while he is splattering the paint.

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  4. Like what Cacia said, both artists have very different styles. While Jackson Pollock painted his movement and feelings on a canvas, Bob Ross painted things: rocks and sky that are real. Jackson Pollock used stick and watery paints to spread paint on a canvas. Bob Ross, however, used conventional style of oil paint and knife to make his art. Also, there is another difference as I watched the video. Bob Ross described what he is doing and how he is going to do to his audience. On the other hand, Jackson Pollock talks about his childhood and his life; he does not give any information about meaning of the painting. Even though they have many differences in their styles and approaches, there is one similarity that I could find. The big similarity of both artists is that they did not outline objects or things that they were going to paint. They directly painted on a canvas.

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  5. I agree that these two artists are very different in terms of styles and technique. However, I see a similarity between these two artists. They both seem to be bold and straightforward in what they do. (Does this make sense?) Jackson Pollock is very bold in the ways that he puts paints on canvas. He takes the paint that puts them where he wants them to be. Just like Jackson Pollock, Bob Ross also puts paint where he wants them to be. They are both not using high techniques to paint things from a real life however; they are famous for their art works. I think their boldness in paintings attracts the viewers.

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  6. I strongly agree with Cacia that " both painters have very different styles, but the main difference is that Jason Polluck's interest is in the feeling or emotion behind what he is painting, and Bob Ross's interest is in painting what he see's and how realistic he can make his interpretation of the landscape or whatever he is painting." I think another difference is that one of the painter is a abstract painter and anoter is institutional. Bob Ross thinks before and make decisions before laying his brush on the canvas while Jackson Pollok makes his decision on the way he sprays the paint. On the other hand, I think they are similar since they work from their thoughts. They can be seen different because they have different approach and style to present each of their abstract idea as solid art works.

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  7. I know that these two artists had very different technique and style. Bob Ross's drawing is very realistic, general painting and he knows exactly how the mountain looks like. He already thinks where he should put his paint (add more painting or rid off). Also he usaully blening the color to not use original colors. However Jackson Pollock's painting couldn't imaginate first, because he sprinkle the paint wherever he wants. Therefore his painting will be very strong and atrractive. He also use original colors and try not to mix colors together. Nevertheless they both have similar terms through painting is using the paint and do as whatever they want. They could create their painting by their own.

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  8. I agree with JiYoon....both artists are, in their own way, bold in their approach. Ross speaks of his are very casual but his artwork is VERY specific, while Pollock's art work is very chaotic and abstract, but he speaks of it VERY specifically. They have different ways of going about their way of painting and speaking about their art.

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  9. I think that what other people said above about the two artists are true. They do have not opposite but different styles. Bob Ross is a realistic painter while Jackson Pollock is an abstract painter. So, it is difficult to actually compare them. However, they are similar in a way that they both have discovered ways to create their pieces. Their styles are new and creative. Also they are both bold and expressive. Jackson Pollocks may seem like he is more expressive, but Bob also is bold and expressive, because he is not hesistant when he paints. He uses a knife instead of a brush when he paints. I think that the knife helps him to be bold and definite about his choices.

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  10. Before I watch the vidieo, I thought that Bob Ross and Jackson Pollock's philosophy would be totally different because Bob Rose’s style is realistic nature and Jackson’s is abstract. However, It’s interesting there are similarities between those two artists. These both artists create their piece ‘as they go on.’ Also, they don’t sketch the painting, they paint direct.
    The difference is that as Bob paints the realistic object which concentrated on the technique but Jackson paints to express his feeling.
    When Bob paints, he talks about the technique he uses and the way he paints. Jackson talks about his story and why he paints. The medium Jackson uses is various. He uses stick, sand, broken glass, string. Also, Jackson paints on the big canvas but Bob has smaller consistent size of canvas he uses.

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  11. As the other people said, the artists are quite different in terms of style and personality but still sharing some similarities. Bob Ross is talking like he is teaching--showing how it works and saying what he has in mind to paint next. He is creating the landscape almost without thinking and just boldly uses the knife to paint whatever he wants at the moment on the canvas, quite relax and pleasant in his own world. Jackson Pollock is also creating his painting with no hesitation but at the same time putting in lots of feelings and emotions into it. His paintings are controversial, some people think they're just paints splashed on canvas that everybody can do while the others regard them as quite deep, thoughtful paintings. Jackson Pollock didn't start painting like this, as he actually used to paint realistically quite good, I think all of these abstract paintings are based on all what he has been through, they are not just paints splashed on canvas but paintings full of stories, experiences and thoughts that are shown in a creative Pollock way.

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  12. I think what were not getting at is the fact that not only are these men of two different methods,schooling's,ideology and techniques, but they were also of two different times. In the 50's when pollock was painting, what he was doing was unheard of, before then there was a rhyme and reason for a piece that was clear and specific and either held a purpose of was at least something like a still life. Correct me if im wrong but he's what started the line of abstract expressionism artists of the 60's and early 70's. Where ross was in a time were we had just finished a pointless war and so now America wanted something fun and simple, something that didn't necessarily make you feel something deep and meaningful. These two men were active in two very different worlds, one that yearned for social reconstruction and one that wanted commercialism and a distraction from the chaos around it.

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  13. both painters have different styles. Bob Ross in this video is painting a mountain, a very realistic image. even though one would expect for him to be very careful with what to add or paint, words like "whatever you want" or "in my world" tell us that he is just letting go and paiting what he feels. he is not following a specific rubric or guide on how to paint a mountain and where the rocks should be for example. This "letting go" feeling is similar to the next artist where unlike ross he is not paiting a realistic picture but he is letting go, and expressing his feelings. there is no accident on what he is doing, no beginning and no end. his paintings have life on their own, he says. i feel even though they are different in what they paint, they both have similar mind sets of letting go and being free. not following specific guidelines

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  14. Also look at the cultures these two men were playing to. The buyer's of pollocks work were mainly art collectors who were selling to the young and restless. Ross was selling to the older generation who were once the rowdy kids of the 60's and 70's but were now warn out and ready to settle down and just wanted to enjoy art for aesthetic purposed and not for any deeper meaning. So to say which one is better is pointless because on both parts there art is not for everyone of every generation, they were for a specific audience pin pointed at the exact right time.

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  15. Although Ross's work seems more crafted and planned than Pollock's, from viewing the videos we learn the process of making art for is more of an act of self expression. It seems to be more improvised, and a way of letting himself go. Whereas Pollack makes no accidents. Everything that happens on the painting is a product of his mind. This idea is hard to grasp, when one work seems to be full of wild abandon and the other a more ordinary landscape. The actual artwork does not always reflect the philosophies and process that the painters adopt. It is a testament to why Pollock work is regarded so highly. Although we don't neccesarily understand why it makes us feel something, his genius intent behind it makes us feel something. It isn't just paint of a canvus, but a specifically engeniered work of art. But even though Pollack claims to make no accident, his method of painting makes it difficult to control the paint. Like in live performance art, there is a level of surprise despite an artists best efforts to put their vision on stage. Sometimes for the better. - John

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  16. When observing both artworks of Pollock and Ross. You would immediately think that Ross was more specific in the detail of his work and thought out more of what he was painting. Where Pollock's work was more improvisational. However, in these videos you figure out that Pollock's work is very planned out and very specific in everything that he does. Even though they're just splatters of paint, he plans out each one very specifically. In a way, Ross does the opposite. When he was drawing the mountain top, he was going completely from imagination and halfway through the painting he would, what seemed like all of a sudden, start adding rock formations and they didn't seemed to be too mapped out to begin with.

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