Jackson Pollock (1912-1956). American expressionist painter. He was the key figure in the 1940s and 50s. He was influenced by Latin American authors ( Rivera and Siqueira) and surrealism (the automatism method - the expression of the subconscious when painting) . From 1947, he began using the technique of dripping paint on canvas (without touching it). His reputation was tarnished by scandals (strange mood swings, alcoholic excesses, womanizing, etc.), yet he was one of the greatest American painters following World War II, and, along with Mark Rothko and Willem De Koonigem, Pollock was one of the leading figures of abstract expressionism.