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See the original at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York
Full Fathom Five
by Jackson Pollock, 1947
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1947
- Medium
- Oil on canvas with nails, tacks, buttons, coins, cigarettes
- Size
- 129.2 cm × 76.5 cm (50.9 × 30.1 in)
Cite or Embed This Work
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Jackson Pollock's Full Fathom Five from 1947 marks the emergence of his drip technique. The title comes from Shakespeare's Tempest: "Full fathom five thy father lies." Beneath the swirling surface lies buried detritus: nails, tacks, buttons, coins, cigarettes, even a key.
The dark green and black surface suggests oceanic depths. Pollock poured, dripped, and flung paint, then embedded objects before the surface dried. It's one of his first fully realized "all-over" compositions, where no part of the canvas takes precedence over another. It hangs in MoMA.
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About Full Fathom Five
The painting contains nails, tacks, buttons, coins, cigarettes, a key, and other items. Pollock pressed them into wet paint. They're now invisible beneath the surface but were revealed by X-rays.
The title comes from Ariel's song in The Tempest: 'Full fathom five thy father lies.' It describes a drowned sailor transformed into something rich and strange, fitting the painting's oceanic depths.
Jackson Pollock's pollock poured, dripped, and flung paint, then embedded objects before the surface dried. It's one of his first fully realized "all-over" compositions, where no part of the canvas takes precedence over another.
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