Blog 2

1. The second part of Pollock proved to be rather unsettling and very depressing. Due to the absence of information regarding Pollock's earlier life and childhood, it is hard to understand why and how he became such a belligerent drunk with an undertone of misogyny and hate. This lack of background information makes it hard to sympathize even remotely with Pollock. Additionally, a love/hate relationship develops between Pollock and Krasner throughout the course of the film. From the very beginning Lee championed Pollock and his art work, battling to secure his place at the top of the art world. However, as the film progresses, Lee's undivided attention and devotion to Jackson and his art proves to be a detriment to both of them. She seems to only be concerned with Pollock, the artist, neglecting to see him as anything more than an artistic genius. When Jackson asks her to give him children, she is completely unwilling to even think about sharing him with anyone, including a child of their own making, something that would undoubtedly bring them closer together. In my opinion, it is this moment, when Pollock is denied the chance to experience fatherhood, that he experiences a turning point in his life. When they first moved to Long Island, their life there seemed to be finally reaching a happy and serene realm, however, Krasner's refusal really sets the stage for Pollock's ultimate demise as a happy and productive person. He begins drinking heavily, becomes volatile and argumentative, and he begins cheating. He cannot handle the fact that other artists are successful and that perhaps his moment in the spotlight has come to an end. 

2. One can find a great many similarities when viewing Jackson Pollock as portrayed in the film "Pollock" in terms of Nietzsche's ideas of the Apollonian and the Dionysian dualism. According to Greek mythology and Nietzsche, the figure of Apollo and the Apollonian element relates to the dream state, plastic (visual) arts, beauty, clarity, individuality, human beings as artists, self-control, perfection, "the boundary of moderation", and the "fully calm wisdom of the god of images." While Apollo is seen as the motivated and creative individual, Dionysus and the Dionysian theory applies to the darker side of man. It is the state of intoxication, celebration of nature, the pursuit and sensation of pleasure and/or pain, lack of individuality, the "unleashing of all symbolic powers," excess, eventual destruction, and the dissolution of boundaries. According to Nietzsche, these two gods of art, Apollo and Dionysus, go hand in hand, in "open conflict with each other and simultaneously provoking each other all the time." This conflicted combination in one art form gives birth, inevitably, to tragedy. Due to the tensions produced by these two opposing forces, man suffers a breakdown; he can no longer see himself clearly and confidently when the Dionysian drive comes into play, he is now at the mercy of self-doubt. For Pollock, his dependence on alcohol becomes the ultimate pitfall for his life and individuality. When he is sober he is creative, original, innovative. He is capable of sustaining healthy relationships, appreciating the realities of life, seeing things in a clear and objective way, however, when he begins drinking, he becomes an entirely different person filled with manic moods, violent outbursts and a complete inability to comprehend life and the people around him in a lucid way. His drunkenness breaks down his individual character. In accordance with the Dionysian force, all forms of intoxication and ecstasy lead man to give up his individuality; when Pollock drank he became full of passion, violence, and was unable to paint in his infamously unique style. Despite this similarity, Pollock's erratic and volatile behavior is in no way excusable. Alcoholism is a terrible disease and one that is hard to overcome, however, Pollock was able to give up drinking for two years at one point in his life, so he was clearly able abstain from indulging the Dionysian impulses.

3. The beginning of "Basquiat" starts off with Basquiat as a boy with his mother walking down a long corridor of what seems to be a museum to look at Picasso's Guernica. This association works to establish a sense of artistic lineage as the younger Basquiat dons a illusionistic brightly shining crown. The crown could be viewed as a means of connecting Basquiat with Picasso, perhaps as Picasso's anointed heir; it could also connect Basquiat with the figure of a savior. The savior imagery especially comes into play when his mother bursts into tears in front of the painting. Her tears could perhaps be alluding to the suffering she will experience later on in her life when she is at a nursing home, or her intense love and appreciation for art and the sheer power art has in moving her to tears. Schnabel begins this movie with a rich interplay of imagery and iconographical allusions to art, art history, and the art world, realms Basquiat will conquer in his future. Additionally, the movie glorifies and glamorizes the '80s, which was a golden age of sorts filled with art, excess, fame, and an abundance of money. It gives a glimpse at the life in which Basquiat yearns for as he watches the elite and posh people attending a gallery show through the letters on the door of the Mary Boone gallery, a character who later becomes a huge fixture in Basquiat's life and artistic career. There is a quick, fleeting shot of Andy Warhol with his tell-tale silver colored and coiffed hair, which also works to foreshadow the relationship which will unfold later on between the famous artist and the aspiring Basquiat.

There are a few connections to the schematic structure of the artist's biography, especially in the pre-birth and birth stage with the unusual dream-like instances that Basquiat experiences. Additionally, in the birth stage, the element of "naming" comes into play when Basquiat and his friend Benny prank call the suicide hotline and we find out the nationality behind Jean-Michel Basquiat's name; he is part Haitian and part Puerto Rican. Lastly, the "youth" stage comes into play with his obvious interest in artistic endeavors. He seems to find art in everything around him and everywhere around him. Every surface is a canvas for which he can produce an artistic impulse. He pours syrup on the table of a diner and begins painting with a fork in the gelatinous goo. He spray paints the walls of New York City with artful sayings. He rearranges the letters on the "daily specials" sign outside of the diner to reflect himself and his graffiti tag, Samo.