What's So Great About ...? - Series 2 - Jackson Pollock

Lenny takes on the often misunderstood work of the American abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock. Pollock's art, characterised by an intricate web of lines and layers of paint, has always polarised critics. His detractors dismiss his 'drip painting' technique as little more than random splashes on the canvas. His supporters tap into a nervous energy inside his paintings which expands under strict control. Either way, Pollock's work still stirs strong emotions about the meaning of modern art and, although he died in 1956, he is arguably still the most important artist to have come out of the United States. Lenny puts Jack the Dripper's work to the test by talking to jazz musicians, critics, mathematicians and artists who all value the importance and uniqueness of the art of Jackson Pollock.