Pollock

Pollock leaves the cramped New York City apartment to make space for Arloie's baby. Shortly afterward he encounters fellow artist Lee Krasner, whose presence sparks his interest in painting and collaboration. Their meeting marks the beginning of a crucial personal and artistic partnership.

Pollock sinks into a drunken binge, and Sande labels him clinically neurotic. Lee Krasner takes him home and decides to manage his career, recognizing potential in his work. Her support proves pivotal to his early development as an artist.

Reuben Kadish visits Pollock with Howard Putzel, who works for Peggy Guggenheim. Guggenheim views Pollock's paintings and offers a contract to exhibit him, plus a commission to paint a large mural in her New York townhouse entry. This proposal pushes Pollock toward the center of the American art scene.

Pollock's first exhibition fails to attract buyers. After a New Year's Eve party, he nearly sleeps with Peggy Guggenheim, and soon after learns that Putzel has died. The string of setbacks tests his resolve and mood.

Pollock and Lee decide to marry rather than split up and plan to move to Long Island together. Their marriage solidifies as they navigate life and art away from Manhattan's pressures. The partnership blends personal commitment with artistic collaboration.

Pollock rejects Clement Greenberg's insistence that his work be altered to be marketable. He remains committed to his technique, even as criticism and commerce push for change. Greenberg suggests a Life magazine feature could shift attention in his favor.

Pollock's flirtations with other women strain his marriage to Lee. He searches for additional income, trying various jobs while alcohol and volatility complicate his life. Lee's distance grows as she resists conceiving, adding tension to their partnership.

A Life magazine article about Pollock appears, bringing renewed attention even though his paintings aren't yet selling widely. The feature raises public curiosity about his work and foreshadows the upcoming exhibit. Critics remain divided, but momentum builds.

Cinematographer Hans Namuth films Pollock as he works, attempting to capture his gestural process. The filming interrupts the spontaneity that defines his method, challenging how viewers perceive his art. Pollock's focus is affected by the camera's presence.

Pollock, who had been attempting sobriety, relapses and ruins the Thanksgiving dinner. The relapse underscores the fragility of his personal life amid mounting professional pressure. Family tensions intensify as public attention grows.

In a frame of the film, Pollock signs a copy of Life magazine for a fan at a 1950 art exhibit. This moment signals rising public recognition although sales remain inconsistent. It foreshadows the breakthrough critics and institutions anticipate.

Five years after the Life exhibit, Clement Greenberg notes that the Partisan Review favors artist Clyfford Still as the potential next direction of modern art. Pollock weighs this alternative trajectory against his own stubborn method. The dialogue highlights the shifting landscape of postwar abstraction.

Pollock's marriage remains strained by Lee's reluctance to conceive, prompting him to begin an extramarital relationship with Ruth Kligman. The affair deepens the emotional rift and influences his late works. Ruth becomes a significant figure in Pollock's life during this era.

After a phone call with Lee, who is in Venice, Pollock tells Ruth 'I owe the woman something.' On a drive with Ruth and her friend Edith, he crashes the car, killing Edith and himself while Ruth is badly injured. The tragedy marks the abrupt end of Pollock's turbulent life and career.

An epilogue states that Lee Krasner never remarried after Pollock's death, preserving the memory of their partnership and influence on American abstract expressionism. Her life afterward is framed by Pollock's legacy and the posthumous reevaluation of his work.