Portrait and a Dream

Jackson Pollock

1953

Oil and enamel on canvas

Dallas Museum of Art

The image on the right side of the canvas has been interpreted as Jackson Pollock's self-portrait, perhaps partially obscured by some kind of mask. A similar face appeared in numerous drawings Pollock created over the years, which many critics have suggested relates to his experiences with Jungian analysis, a branch of psychiatry that regards some symbols as universally present in the human subconscious. On the left, an image of a sketchily painted reclining female figure may embody the "dream" of the painting's title. Baring his self in a way few other American artists did, Pollock redefined the very character of what it meant to b