From Jack Lass
Like Kat Austen, it wasn’t until I saw some of Jackson Pollock’s works in their original size at the Museum of Modern Art in New York that I finally experienced the “aha” moment of appreciation (14 July, p 42).
Until then, in common with other sceptics, I felt that the process of dripping paint on canvas was not art. The moment I walked into the gallery in which these large, colourful works were hung I realised how wrong I had been. Paintings were dancing across the walls, filling the gallery with joyous motion and rippling colour. I could hardly tear myself away, and I went back several times with friends who had been equally dubious.
All of them left, as I had, with their heads swimming and a feeling as if there had been not only a visual but also a musical experience. I have also always liked Dutch abstract artist Piet Mondrian’s work, and now I have a better understanding of why.
Bethesda, Maryland, US
