This slim, but richly illustrated, biography of Jackson Pollock has stood the test of time since its first publication in 1959. Still a sound, but laudatory, study of all of Pollock's periods; which are weighed and appreciated in chronological order. Frank O'Hara was a well-known and universally respected poet who was an integral part of the New York artistic scene until his death in 1966.

Deborah Solomon's biography sets Jackson Pollock in his time and portrays him as a shy, often withdrawn person, full of insecurities and self-doubts, and frequently unable to express himself about his art or its meaning. Solomon interviewed two hundred people who knew Pollock and his work, and she has drawn extensively on Pollock's own writings and other personal papers. She examines the artist's relationships with his family; his wife and fellow...