Scientists analyse the physics of Jackson Pollock's famous painting technique

Jackson Pollock's distinctively drippy style earned him a spot in the pantheon of abstract expressionists.

So what does he have to do with physics? A lot, it turns out.

In a recent paper in the journal PLOS One, a group of physicists from Mexico and the United States looked at the artist's famous drips. They wanted to understand how his works were created and use physics to capture his unique style.

A visitor stands among the projections of Jackson Pollock paintings during a preview of the exhibition "Pollock and the school of NY" in Rome.Credit:

They analysed Pollock's painting technique using fluid dynamics, a branch of physics that explores how liquids and gases move. To do so, they watched films of the painter at work, measured his hand speed and re-created it in the lab.

It turns out that Pollock didn't actually drip his paint. Sometimes he poured straight from the can. He also used brushes, sticks and syringes to layer paint on a canvas beneath him. Instead of creating individual droplets, he manipulated paint so that it fell toward the canvas in long, unbroken filaments.

That technique allowed Pollock to avoid coiling instability, in which a viscous liquid like paint curls up and coils like a rope when it falls on a surface. (Think of how honey becomes ropelike when you pour it on toast, piling up in a coil before settling into a liquid that spreads across the bread.)

It's not the first time physicists have tackled Pollock, and it probably won't be the last. So why bother? It's not just fun and games, the researchers imply - a better understanding of Pollock's painting physics could help authenticate paintings in the future.

The Washington Post