Happy Birthday, Jackson Pollock and Alice Neel

Two cheers on this charmed day in history to celebrate the births of both Jackson Pollock and Alice Neel. Although distinguished by drastically opposing characteristics and running in separate circles, it seems the two shared more in common than a post-birthday headache on the 29th. Pollock, affectionately nicknamed “Jack the Dripper,” let his paint fly from brush to canvas; his expressive paintings were derived from reality but channeled the inner mind of the artist, much like Neel, whose figures and portraits—although realistic—used expressive brushstrokes to relay visceral, psychological inner truths.