The Water Bull (from the Accabonac Creek series)

In 1945, Jackson Pollock moved from New York City to Long Island close to the Accabonac Creek. After moving here, Pollock began to introduce in his work themes alluding to nature. Pollock's The Water Bull is part of the Accabonac Creek Series, which comprises paintings completed before the summer of 1946. The works from this series show marked, bright and cheery, thinned out colour. Specifically, The Water Bull is largely composed of paint straight from the canisters, thick, unmixed, and dominated by red, black and green in contrast with thin washes of paint. The painting features varied black lines, assorted textures, clashing rather than harmonious colour and an immediacy in which the paint is applied to the canvas. All this lends a feeling of liveliness to the painting. The image of a bull was often used by Pollock and symbolizes masculine aggression and power.