Hidden images revealed in Jackson Pollock paintings

A visitor walks past "N27" painted by Jackson Pollock in 1950 during a preview of the exhibition "Pollock and the school of NY" in Rome's Vittoriano museum Tuesday Oct. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A new study suggests that Jackson Pollock’s iconic drip paintings contain deliberately placed images – possibly influenced by his bipolar disorder.

Published by Stephen M. Stahl, a psychiatry professor for the University of California in Cambridge’s Press journal CNS Spectrums, the study challenges long-standing interpretations of Pollock’s abstract works, proposing that he repeatedly put the same hidden symbols across multiple paintings.

Stahl highlights that Pollock met the criteria for bipolar disorder – a condition that has been linked to heightened creativity and unique cognitive abilities.

According to Stahl, Pollock did not paint while intoxicated or depressed, but instead during periods of high energy and clarity, suggesting a direct link between his mental state and his creative output.

Historically diagnosed with conditions ranging from “alcoholic psychosis” to “schizophrenia-like disorder,” Stahl says modern psychiatric analysis would classify Pollock as bipolar.

“His remarkable ability to hide these images in plain sight may have been part of his creative genius, and could also have been enhanced by the endowment of extraordinary visual spatial skills that have been described in some bipolar patients,” Stahl said in a press release.

A new perspective on creativity

The study also points to Pollock’s exposure to Rorschach inkblots during psychiatric treatment. These psychological tests, which encourage the interpretation of abstract shapes, may have influenced his artistic process, reinforcing his tendency to see and put imagery in his abstract art.

Stahl argues that Pollock intentionally – or subconsciously – embedded images into his paintings as a form of storytelling. Among the recurring motifs Stahl identified are “booze bottles, images of himself, monkeys, clowns, elephants and more.”

“Seeing an image once in a drip painting could be random; seeing the same image twice in different paintings could be a coincidence; seeing it three or more times makes those images very unlikely to be randomly provoked perceptions without any basis in reality,” Stahl explained.

This challenges the long-standing debate over Pollock’s work. While many critics argue that his paintings are purely abstract, with any imagery being the result of viewer projection, Stahl’s findings suggest a structured, intentional element to Pollock’s art.

As the debate continues, one thing is certain: Pollock’s art, like the man himself, remains a mystery inviting scholars and art lovers to explore and interpret his drip paintings with fascination.