Is the Joke on Pollock?

I may miss the sacred 3: MOMA, MET and the Guggenheim, but I won't miss the new galleries in Chelsea. 22st street between 10th and 11th avenues, is like art town: full of snugly set art galleries. These beautiful large white spaces, are always a treat to walk through, regardless of the quality of the art they display.

Rodney Graham’s self-portrait (left), in 303 Gallery, called The Gifted Amateur, November 10, 1962 could be a play on the iconic photo showing Jackson Pollock intensely at work on his painting (right). Pollock, who was "the archetypal abstract expressionist" (gallery PR notes) is caught in a moment of action, his body in a position almost suggestive of a tiger about to leap on his prey. Jackson is watched by a female friend/companion, in rather sculptural pose. The photo is staged, to create an aura about the artist, as if he is a male hero fighting with paint, while the prized maiden, looks on, in awe of her knight. It looks like a publicity photo.

In contrast, Graham stands rather passively over his canvas in pajamas; the slope of the canvas does most of the work, as he pours paint with a limp out-stretched hand. Though he appears relaxed, and all the items of the painting, appear natural, this photograph is more staged than Pollock’s. Each stool, table, book, and newspaper sheet is placed deliberately. One newspaper masthead has the date on which this photo is meant to have been shot – November 10, 1962. The old film/music system and the style of furniture, are also strong indicators of the time period in which this scene is set.

The quality of Graham’s image is exceptional, and one can see details of each newspaper sheet. The grain of the wood laminate on the wall in the background, interestingly echoes the painting in the foreground.

But why did Graham create this image? I think it’s a sort of joke; He may even be suggesting that Pollock’s work doesn’t deserve the attention it gets - It’s easy to do what Pollock did. Don’t you hear people saying, “ I could have done that with my left hand!” when mocking a modern work of art. Graham, seems to be playing on this sentiment – and he literally uses his left hand. But the fact that he would create such a photograph, suggests that he knows that modern is much more that what meets the eye.