Jackson Pollock was a famous American painter best known for his abstract expressionism, including the “drip and splash” and the “all-over” style of painting (which look exactly like they sound). Now we finally know the chemical origin of the blue color he splattered onto his iconic Number 1A, 1948 .

Researchers investigated the vibrant pigment via laser spectroscopy , a technique scientists use to investigate matter at the atomic level. With this approach, they revealed it to be manganese blue, a now discontinued turquoise-ish pigment. They detail their work in a study published Monday in the journal PNAS, which represents Pollock’s first confirmed use of the pigment.

A bygone pigment

“ Number 1A, 1948 by Jackson Pollock is a quintessential example of his action painting te

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