After decades of scientific mystery, researchers have finally identified the source of the brilliant blue color that runs through Jackson Pollock's iconic painting "Number 1A, 1948." The groundbreaking discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on September 15, 2025, reveals that the American abstract expressionist artist used a rare synthetic pigment that is no longer in production today. The masterpiece is currently housed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) was a leading figure in the abstract expressionist movement that emerged in New York City during the 1940s. This artistic movement prioritized the expression of emotions through abstraction rather than figurative representation. Pollock was particularly associated with action painting, a form of gestural painting where the physical act of painting – including body movements, paint projection, and dripping – became as important as the final result.
The artist developed the famous "dripping" technique, which involved letting paint flow or splash onto canvases placed on the floor. Among his large-scale works, which featured no central composition and were entirely covered with networks of lines and spots, "Number 1A, 1948" stands as one of the first paintings created using this revolutionary dripping method. The monumental work measures approximately 68 by 104 inches.
While researchers had previously identified the red and yellow pigments among the black and white splatters of the massive canvas, the origin of the rich turquoise blue remained enigmatic. This changed when scientists extracted tiny fragments of blue paint from "Number 1A, 1948" and used lasers to scatter light and observe molecular vibrations. The analysis revealed a unique chemical fingerprint that definitively identified the pigment as manganese blue.
"It's really fascinating to understand where such a striking color comes from, at the molecular level," said Edward Solomon, a professor at Stanford University and co-author of the study, in an interview with the Associated Press. The identification marks a significant breakthrough in understanding Pollock's artistic materials and techniques.
Manganese blue was discovered in the early 20th century and offers a clear hue that sometimes leans toward turquoise or green through chemical synthesis. While it was appreciated in painting for creating atmospheric or aquatic effects, the pigment was also used in swimming pool cement. However, manganese blue was gradually phased out of industry and replaced by modern synthetic blues, such as phthalocyanines, which have more stable compositions that are less expensive and less environmentally problematic.
Although hypotheses had previously suggested that Jackson Pollock might have used manganese blue, these new research findings represent a decisive advancement. Gene Hall, a Pollock specialist and professor at Rutgers University, expressed confidence in the discovery: "I'm pretty convinced that it could be manganese blue," he told the Associated Press.
Beyond identifying the pigment, specialists also examined the chemical structure of the canvas to better understand the origin of its particular brilliance. Abed Haddad, a conservation assistant at MoMA and co-author of the study, found parallels between the scientific investigation and the artist's own approach: "I see a lot of similarities between our way of working and Jackson Pollock's when he painted this picture."
Pollock himself rejected the idea that his work was chaotic. Like the researchers studying his paintings, he viewed his approach as a methodical quest guided by experimentation and exploration. Another study has shown that his paint splatters follow what are called "fractals" – repeating patterns at different scales that present infinite complexity, also found in nature through clouds, trees, and lightning. This scientific understanding adds another layer to appreciating Pollock's systematic yet spontaneous artistic process.
