In 1950, Hans Namuth made a series of photographs of Jackson Pollock in the act of painting that was of seminal importance in educating the public and artists alike about Pollock's revolutionary new style. Images showing Pollock stepping into, out of, and around his canvas, flinging paint with bold gestures, clarified and validated the process of "action painting" as a creative act. This example reveals Pollock's total physical and mental involvement in his art. The painter strides through a stream of sunlight as he circles his canvas, his blurred form visually confused with his work by light and dark contrasts. Unconscious of the photographer, Pollock is literally in his painting, embodying the kinetic power of his artwork.

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