Miners / by Environmental Humanities Hub

Jackson Pollock, American, 1912-1956

Miners, 1934-1938

Miners depicts faceless individuals congregated tightly together inside a mine, with half of the individuals hunched over and gathering materials. Each individual remains anonymous, highlighting that these workers could be any human, yet the rough black and white streaks emphasize the harsh, dangerous conditions these individuals must work through. There are no signs of light or other workers or managers, solely these select few that are isolated from everything else, unethically enduring all potential risks with mining, including exposure to toxic metals and inhaling toxic fumes or other particulates. Label by Sebastian Rios-Melean