Going West 1

Jackson Pollock’s Early Vision: The Roots of an American Icon

Few works reveal the formative years of Jackson Pollock as vividly as Going West 1, painted in 1935 when the artist was just 23. This canvas marks a pivotal moment before his signature drip technique emerged, offering a rare glimpse into the influences that would later define Abstract Expressionism. The composition’s jagged, rhythmic lines and earthy palette reflect Pollock’s engagement with Mexican muralists like José Clemente Orozco, whose dynamic forms he encountered during a 1930 trip to Los Angeles. Yet the work’s tension between representation and abstraction—hinting at figures or landscapes without resolving them—also foreshadows the radical departure he would soon pursue.

Created during Pollock’s studies under Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League, Going West 1 bears traces of Benton’s regionalist style in its undulating contours and layered space. However, Pollock’s restless energy already strains against these constraints. The painting’s title, likely referencing the American frontier mythos, contrasts sharply with its fragmented forms—a duality that would become central to his mature work. As the Museum of Modern Art notes, Pollock’s early canvases like this one reveal an artist “simultaneously absorbing tradition and rebelling against it,” a tension that drives the painting’s enduring intrigue.

Before the Drip: Pollock’s 1930s and the Birth of a New Language

The 1930s were a decade of intense experimentation for Pollock, as he oscillated between the regionalist traditions of his mentor Benton and the surrealist currents sweeping through New York. Going West 1 belongs to this transitional phase, where the artist’s brushwork grows increasingly gestural even as it retains vestigial ties to landscape. Unlike his later all-over compositions, this painting still employs a horizon line—though one so fractured it nearly dissolves into pure rhythm. The work’s palette of ochres, umbers, and muted blues further connects it to the American Southwest, a region Pollock would revisit throughout his career both literally and metaphorically.

What distinguishes Going West 1 from Pollock’s earlier student works is its refusal to settle. The canvas pulses with a kinetic energy that anticipates his breakthrough into full abstraction by the late 1940s. As art historian The Art Story observes, these pre-drip paintings reveal Pollock “testing the boundaries of form,” using line not to describe objects but to activate the entire pictorial field. The result is a work that feels simultaneously rooted in its era and prophetic of the artistic revolution to come.

Pollock’s 1935 Going West 1 is less a painting of the American West than a painting about the act of going—its restless lines mapping not geography but the artist’s own psychological terrain.

The Making of Going West 1: Technique and Innovation

Composition: Layered Movement

Pollock builds the painting through a series of overlapping, calligraphic strokes that create a sense of depth without traditional perspective. The composition’s vertical and diagonal lines intersect at irregular intervals, generating a rhythmic tension that draws the eye across the surface. Unlike his later works, where the entire canvas becomes a single field of energy, here Pollock still employs a loose central focus—though one that refuses to coalesce into recognizable forms.

Color and Texture

The limited palette of Going West 1—dominated by raw umber, yellow ochre, and slate blue—reflects Pollock’s interest in the earthy tones of Native American art and the Mexican muralists. He applies the paint in varying opacities, allowing underlayers to show through in places, which creates a sense of geological stratification. This textural complexity, combined with the matte finish of the oils, gives the surface a tactile quality that invites close inspection.

Displaying Going West 1: A Curator’s Approach

This print’s earthy palette and dynamic composition make it remarkably versatile for modern interiors. The 30×40 cm size works ideally above a console table in a living room or as the focal point of a home office gallery wall. Pair it with neutral tones—soft grays, warm whites, or natural wood—to let the painting’s textural richness take center stage. For bolder spaces, contrast its organic forms against sleek mid-century furniture or deep jewel-toned walls. Avoid overly busy patterns nearby; Going West 1 demands breathing room to reveal its subtleties. In well-lit areas, the matte finish of the print will emphasize Pollock’s layered brushwork without glare.