Jackson Pollock’s Easter and the Totem is an oil on canvas painting that was completed in 1953. Measuring 84 x 58 cm, the artwork is housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), located in New York City, NY, US. The piece is characterized by totemic forms and quasi-figurative images, which represent Pollock’s renewed interest in brush painting.
Easter and the Totem is one of Pollock’s late works, created after he moved away from dripping and pouring paint. The piece features bold linear elements that create a sense of movement throughout the composition. The artwork was gifted to MoMA by Lee Krasner in memory of Jackson Pollock.
Evidently, Easter and the Totem is part of a collection of important paintings produced during Pollock’s declining years. This period marked an evolution in his style as he developed new techniques related to brushwork painting that were quite different from his earlier drip paintings. Overall, this artwork displays Jackson Pollock’s mature style with its use of abstract figuration and expressive gestural marks that demonstrate how far he had come as an artist while experimenting with new modes of representation.
