In Bloom: Kerouac and Pollock

There has always been a stigma attached to young celebrities: that eventually, they would fail and collapse. Especially when they quickly rise from unknown status to being labeled leaders of their movements. Look at Curt Kobain, just a Seattle kid with long hair and a guitar; suddenly finding himself not only one of the biggest bands in American history, but the figurehead for an entire labeled "grunge" movement of rock and roll. In fact, there are entire movements based around the "heroes" of the groups dying young, like the Romantic Poets, or the Counter Culture musicians of the 60s.

Jackson Pollock dies at the age of 44, Kerouac at 47, but their careers both fit the mold of the "fallen young." They all skyrocketed from obscurity and into intense fame, suddenly finding themselves in the spotlight, and sometimes undesirably, the spokespeople of their generation. These two men pioneer their various art forms, Kerouac "inventing" the spontaneous, semi-stream of consciousness prose, and Pollock's splatter art. Furthermore, both receive massive criticism for their work; critics claiming that Kerouac is simply throwing out word after meaningless word to form a base, childish narration with no depth, or Pollock just launching paint onto canvas inartistically.

And yet, their work has survived the test of time.

Pollock says:

"My painting does not come from the easel. I prefer to tack the unstretched canvas to the hard wall or the floor. I need the resistance of a hard surface. On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting."

His is an immersive art, one that challenges both the artist and the viewer of the paintings to try to feel, to year for, to grope at what exactly it means. It is visionary and real.

But, before his career as an artist, Pollock grew up in Cody, Wyoming. He worked for the WPA in the 40s, a time period that critics would say led to the "demise of society found in his work;" ironically, was mostly a time where Jackson found himself working with his hands, earning enough money to thrive living in New York City.

Then, very suddenly, 1945 saw Pollock marring Lee Krasner and skyrocketing into fame. This story, one of obscurity, is similar to the Kerouac story, going from working in a gas station in Hartford, Connecticut to being the most important man in Beat literature.

It is in this way that starting our study with Pollock is useful. Their stories, and many others, mirror the suddenness that the Beat movement launched; and the call to leadership that Kerouac and other Beat heroes heard.