The Moon Woman (rotated)

This early Jackson Pollock painting from the 1940s shows us the artist before he became famous for his drip paintings. Here, he's working with bold colors and thick black outlines to create a mysterious female figure that feels both ancient and modern at once. The "moon woman" emerges from a swirling world of reds, greens, and blues, with abstract shapes and symbols scattered throughout the composition like hieroglyphics from a dream.

Pollock was deeply interested in mythology, psychology, and the art of indigenous cultures during this period. You can see him trying to tap into something primal and universal, creating figures that look like they belong in cave paintings or tribal masks. The painting has a raw, intense energy that hints at the explosive style he'd develop later. While it might look chaotic at first glance, there's a clear structure here, with the central figure anchoring everything around her in this strange, symbolic landscape.