(1912–56)
a US artist who was a leader of abstract expressionism . He developed a style of ‘action painting’, in which paint is dropped or thrown onto a large canvas (= rough cloth) placed on the floor or on a wall. He sometimes used sticks and knives instead of brushes. Pollock drank too much, had severe mental problems and was killed in a car crash. The film Pollock (2000) is an account of his life.