Which American painter is famous for his 'drip painting' technique?

Jackson Pollock is the American painter famous for the “drip painting” technique. He poured, dripped, splashed, and flung liquid paint onto canvases laid horizontally on the studio floor.

Pollock developed this approach in the late 1940s after experimenting with liquid enamel paints, hardened brushes, sticks, syringes, and other unconventional tools. Working around the canvas allowed him to use his entire body, turning painting into a physical performance. The resulting webs of paint helped define Abstract Expressionism and were also associated with “action painting.”

Pollock’s method was not simply random paint throwing. He controlled the viscosity and flow of the paint, the movement of his tools, and the rhythm of his gestures, while allowing gravity and chance to influence the result. He often worked on very large canvases and viewed them from all sides rather than from a fixed upright position.

A common mix-up is confusing drip painting with impasto. Impasto builds raised, visible thickness on the surface; Pollock’s signature effect came primarily from poured and dripped lines. His best-known examples include Autumn Rhythm, Number 1A, 1948, and Blue Poles.