REVIEW OF INFORMATIONAL BOOK #1: ACTION JACKSON by Jan Greenberg and Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker

 

Action Jackson

 Review by Lucinda Zamora-Wiley

 1. Bibliography:

Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. Action Jackson. Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker, New

York: Square Fish, 2007.

 2. Brief plot summary: This informative story follows the iconic American painter, Jackson Pollock through the summer of 1950 when he painted one of his most renowned works: Lavender Mist. The authors walk the reader through a typical workday for the artist on his famous Long Island homestead: how he wakes up and walks to his art studio in the company of his dog Gypsum and his tamed pet crow, Caw Caw; how he spreads out a massive canvas sheet on the ground in his art studio, and how he uses regular house paint in order to get its syrupy stickiness onto the canvas in a way that Pollock called “energy and motion made visible.” Greenberg and Jordan humanize Pollock in a significant way, honing in on his mundane preparation of a meal for his lunchtime break to a short visit to the shoreline when he’s in search of further artistic inspiration. The story ends with Jackson and his wife Lee hanging up one his iconic Lavender Mist to dry…before he grabs another massive sheet of canvas only to begin the whole splotchy art ritual all over again.

 3.   Critical analysis with specific literary considerations pertinent to each genre: (this is the “heart” of your review)

Greenberg and Jordan do a masterful job of incorporating Pollock’s direct quotations into a thorough description of his artistic process, which some found inventive beyond all belief…but some art critics found scandalous, too. The illustrations in this work help convey the clarity of Pollock’s painting process—describing how Pollock often listened to jazz while he painted, writing, “The rhythm of the brush matches the rhythm of the music.” The bibliography of sources in the back matter of the book is extremely thorough and well-documented, including some fantastic photos that came from a rare spread that Pollock allowed Life Magazine to do on his artistic work and process. One who knows about some of the deeper life struggles Pollock endured can also appreciate the matter-of-fact tone of the two-page biography of his life and death in the back matter—there is an honest acknowledgment of his life-long battle with alcoholism and depression. What renders this work so meaningful to young readers is the brilliant illustrative artwork that parallels the narrative of the text on each page. Young readers are able to comprehend the magic and depth of Pollock’s artistic innovations in the 1950s that have made Pollock worthy of his place in art history. This work will surely inspire young readers to honor what it means to think outside the box…or in this case, the small canvas of everyday life. This work is intended for a readership between grades 1-5; however, high school art students could be equally inspired by this informative text and use the back matter for further reading and research on Pollock and other artist-contemporaries, including Pollock’s own wife, Lee Krazner.

4.     Awards won (if any) and review excerpt(s):

·       A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

·       A New York Times Best Book of the Year

·       A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

·       Kirkus Reviews writes: “This stunning collaboration is both a tour de force and an uncommon pleasure… [Greenberg and Jordan] have again pushed the nonfiction envelope with this astonishing biography cum evocation of action painter and abstract expressionist icon Jackson Pollock.”

·       School Library Journal writes: “Greenberg and Jordan offer another remarkable book as they capture a two-month period during which Jackson Pollock created Number 1, 1950, (Lavender Mist). Though only focusing on this one painting, the authors manage to include interesting and revealing details about Pollock's childhood influences: his pets, his studio, and his environment. The active tense of the text lends immediacy and liveliness to the subject, "an athlete with a paintbrush" who ‘swoops and leaps like a dancer.’ Quotes from Pollock himself reveal his distinctive artistic process. The thoughtfulness and care that went into his painting should effectively put to rest any of the ‘I could do that’ skepticism his art sometimes evokes.”

·       From Booklist:  “ ‘Action Jackson' was Jackson Pollock's nickname, and this slim, picture-book biography describes how this "athlete with a paintbrush" made one of his most famous works: the "drip painting" titled Lavender Mist. Using spare, lyrical words, the authors layer the exciting story with deep observations about what art is, how it is made, and why Pollock was so extraordinary.” R

 

5.     Connections:

·       High school students might enjoy researching further into the life and art of Jackson Pollock…or even his wife and fellow artist, Lee Krazner.

·       There is a brilliant film entitled Pollock, starring Ed Harris as Jackson Pollock, that high school students might find absolutely fascinating.

·       Secondary art students might enjoy taking an artist from any era in history (and any part of the world) in order to write an informative book for young readers in the style of Greenberg and Jordan.

·       Students could research other artists who thought outside the box just as Pollock did—artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and other Pop Artists.

·       Art teachers might allow students to experiment with large white paper “canvases” in order to let students engage in Pollock’s paint process.

·       Jan Green has a host of other luminous books about other iconic artists in history—Van Gogh, Warhol, and more—and students might take great joy in exploring more of Greenberg’s well-researched, well-crafted non-fiction works.