No. 1A by Jackson Pollock

This artwork from the drip series still reveals much of the original canvas

This piece of abstract art was executed in 1948 by American master abstract expressionist Jason Pollock.

It is one of Pollock's earliest examples of his drip painting series as to which he is most known for. It is quite a large piece at 1.73 m x 2.64 m and was painted on canvas using oil paint.

This particular piece has a fairly complex and interesting history. In 1958 while hanging in the MoMA (Museum of Modern art, New York City) there was a fire in a part of the gallery which unfortunately damaged and destroyed many paintings within.

Luckily No. 1A was hanging in a stairwell adjacent to the fire but the piece still suffered heat and smoke damage. After the fire No. 1A required extensive cleaning in order to remove soot and debris from the piece.

This extensive cleaning modified the existing artwork to some extent as it has caused some areas of the canvas to age differently from others.

This effect is obvious today. The painting is set to be cleaned for the first time in 60 years in the near future which seeks to intricately restore the painting to as close to its original state as possible.

There is also some discoloration in the piece due to a primer used by Pollock to fill the empty canvas space in the painting. The material used has changed over time and affected the original look of the painting as well.

None of these things however take away from this breathtaking piece, which has its place in modern American art and makes a great addition to the MoMA.