Abarca Entertainment · Limited Series
Beyond the alcoholism and the headlines, Jackson Pollock was a man chasing a "controlled accident." This series explores the evolution of Abstract Expressionism — and the secret government propaganda that turned a radical new way of painting into a weapon of the Cold War.
The Vision
How did a nomadic farmer's son from Los Angeles — a man who failed out of school — end up creating
Number 17A, a masterpiece sold privately for $200 million — a world record?
The Action Painter isn't a biography. It's an exploration of an artistic revolution.
We are looking at the metamorphosis of an artist who turned a "controlled accident"
into a global icon — and the forces of power, propaganda, and genius that made it possible.
The US government and the CIA began propping up American artists like Pollock to show the world that while the Soviets only allowed "party art," America let its artists create freely. Pollock wasn't just a painter. He was a pawn in a global game of propaganda.
The Architecture of the Series
Two women. One legacy. A non-linear narrative structure in the tradition of prestige television — the kinetic past meets the cold, high-stakes present.
The brilliant, sharp-witted peer who discovers Pollock in the New York art scene and recognizes his "purposeful" chaos before the rest of the world. She navigates the influence of Benton and Siqueiros alongside him — the strategist who turns a controlled accident into a global movement.
The head of the Pollock estate. She deals with the aftermath of his death, the looming shadow of the CIA's secret involvement, and the skyrocketing value of the work. She is no longer just "Pollock's wife" — she is the master of his legacy and a titan of the art world in her own right.
Season One
The initial spark of the movement and the legacy of Number 17A. Krasner establishes herself as a respected American abstract artist.
The nomadic life that made him a permanent outsider — and forged the restlessness that would define his art.
Arrival in the city that would define his struggle and his success.
Learning to create and survive when no one is buying. The foundation is laid.
The 1936 workshop with Siqueiros that changed everything — a painter discovers he doesn't need a brush.
The secret involvement of the US government in the art world. The pawn realizes he's in a game.
The moment Pollock abandons the brush for good. The "controlled accident" is born.
The creation of the masterpiece. The culmination of a life's work — and the beginning of a legacy worth $200 million.
From the Pilot
The air is thick with the smell of turpentine and cigarette smoke. We are LOW, inches from a massive raw canvas spread across the floor.
JACKSON POLLOCK stands over it. He's not a "painter" right now — he's an athlete. He holds a can of black industrial lacquer.
The camera is KINETIC. We don't see his face yet — only his hands. The muscles in his forearm tense.
He tilts the can. A thick, violent rope of black paint begins to descend. CLOSE ON CANVAS as the paint hits. It doesn't splash — it anchors. It's purposeful.
The camera RUSHES UP, high into the rafters — looking down as Pollock moves around the canvas like a dancer. Below him, the orange and red lines begin to weave through the black.
A man in a sharp grey suit slides a black-and-white surveillance photo of Pollock across a mahogany desk.
Filmmaker's Visual Note
Visually, this show needs to feel as kinetic as a Pollock canvas. In Number 17A, it's the orange and red lines that pull your eye across the frame, balanced by subtle black borders.
The combination of primary yellows and blues creates a tension we want to capture on camera.
The painting isn't chaotic — it's purposeful. The cinematography will reflect that
"controlled accident" philosophy at every level: camera movement, color grading, editorial rhythm.
The Core Ensemble
The brilliant peer who recognizes the genius in the chaos. More than a wife — the primary force who shaped Pollock's career from within.
The authoritative head of the estate. Navigating auctions, museums, secret histories, and a legacy worth billions. A titan. Undefeated.
The man who replaced the easel with a floor canvas and the brush with a "purposeful" drip. A farmer's son who became America's most dangerous weapon.
The first teacher. Who provided the foundation of survival — painting ceramics through the Great Depression.
The Mexican muralist who showed Pollock he didn't need a brush. Pour, airbrush, drip. The 1936 workshop that changed everything.
CIA operatives who saw Abstract Expressionism not as art, but as ammunition. Pollock was their weapon — he just didn't know it.
Before the Series
A 2–4 minute cinematic piece. Shot before the pilot.
Designed to prove one thing — this world is real.
Pollock circles a canvas on the floor. Not painting — performing. The camera is low, kinetic, inches from the paint. The revolution begins here.
Krasner stands before his canvas in silence. She built this legacy. She controls it. One line sends us back to where it all began.
Two timelines. One gesture. The paint hits the canvas in 1948 —
the ripple is still moving in 1972.
Every action has a consequence. · raul@raulabarca.com
The Opportunity
The intersection of art history, government conspiracy, and artistic genius is underexplored territory for prestige television. The Action Painter is positioned at the exact center of where
True Detective meets The Crown — a limited series built for global distribution, with a story that only gets richer the deeper you go.
Abarca Entertainment is seeking a strategic partner to develop this project
toward a network pitch and pilot production.
Inquiries · Partnership · Casting