Great arcs of paint cover the canvas, apparently at random, to produce an intense and energetic abstract plane. Found objects –cigarettes, nails and buttons- lie purposely embedded in the richly textured surface. Pollock, born in Cody, Wyoming, was the most famous of the American Abstract Expressionist painters, earning the name ‘Jack the Dripper’ because of his method of dribbling and splashing the paint onto a canvas laid on a floor. Commentators from around the world found Pollock’s paintings shocking since they broke the mould of representational art and, in his use of new techniques, demonstrated the artists physical movement in his work. Pollock placed an emphasis on the process behind the painting, and in doing so was to have a profound influence on European art.