Featured Book: Tom and Jack: The Intertwined Lives of Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock by Henry Adams

Sara Trucksess

Tom and Jack: The Intertwined Lives of Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock is a fascinating historical analysis of the attributes and influences that contributed to creating two very different popular and financially successful artists in modern American art. The argument of the book focuses on the relatively unexplored relationship between Benton and Pollock (Benton was Pollock’s teacher, mentor and father figure), but tells their story by highlighting the constellation of interconnected artists, critics and writers who influenced both men over the course of almost a century.

While upon first glance the artwork of Benton and Pollock seems to be visually unrelated, Adams masterfully pulls details from interviews, letters and historical critiques to show not only the influence of Benton’s teachings and style upon Pollock’s work, but also his influence on Pollock’s later popular success in American society. Drawing upon artists as far back as the classical Greeks, and orbiting greats…