Captivated by Jackson Pollock

In the movie Mona Lisa Smile, Julia Roberts’ character, Katherine Ann Watson, challenged her Wellesley College students to pause front of a Jackson Pollock painting. She advised them to take their time and absorb the painting before making an opinion. They were startled by the request, but they did. By taking their time, they formulated an opinion far different than their initial reaction.

So on a recent trip my husband and I took to the Quad Cities to attend the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival (which exceeded expectations by the way), I was eager to go to the Figge Art Museum to see Jackson Pollock’s ‘Mural’ and do just that. (Flooding in Iowa City in 2008 led to the temporary relocation of the piece, normally on display at the University of Iowa Museum of Art, to the Figge.)

Tim and I seem to find ourselves in art museums when we travel, we separate and reconnect through the exhibits. We share our thoughts and get immersed in our own worlds as we wander through the sculptures, paintings and sometimes quirky exhibits.

Upon arriving at the Figge we wandered through a chair exhibit and finally found ourselves in front of Pollock’s ‘Mural.’ I made myself stop and take a deep breath, I stood dead center and scanned the painting. I walked back and forth, moved up closed and stood back. I was captivated.


The University of Iowa Museum of Art, Gift of Peggy Guggenheim, 1959.6



My opinion of Jackson Pollock’s ‘Mural’ will stay with me. I want you to formulate your own. So go. Breathe deep and take your time, your opinion may shift during the process.


LuAnn Reinders, Iowa Tourism Office