Jackson Pollock

Theosophical Society connections

In 1928 they moved to Los Angeles, where Pollock enrolled at Manual Arts High School. There he came under the influence of Frederick John de St. Vrain Schwankovsky, a painter and illustrator who was also a member of the Theosophical Society that promoted metaphysical and occult spirituality. Schwankovsky gave Pollock some rudimentary training in drawing and painting, introduced him to advanced currents of European modern art, and encouraged his interest in theosophicalliterature. At this time Pollock, who had been raised an agnostic, also attended the camp meetings of of the theosophist Jiddu Krishnamurti, a personal friend of Schwankovsky. These spiritual explorations prepared him to embrace the theories of the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and the exploration of unconscious imagery in his paintings in subsequent years.