Artsology

The fractal nature of Pollock's paintings

Marcus du Sautoy, a professor of science, interviews artist and physicist Richard Taylor about his machine built with mathematic principles in mind to mimic the painting style of Jackson Pollock.

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Artist and physicist Richard Taylor (of the University of Oregon) invents a machine which he calls "The Pollockizer" which mimics Pollock's eccentric painting style. It's based on a pendulum, but Taylor calls it a "kicked pendulum" because it knocks the string as it is swinging around, creating a type of chaotic motion which he believes to accurately reproduce Pollock's painting style. He also explains how he sees Pollock's work as representing fractals, and the fact that different sections of the work seen at different distances have the same amount of visual complexity. Watch this video for a fascinating look at Jackson Pollock's art through the lense of science and mathematics.

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