Final answer:
Willem de Kooning remarked on the profound impact of Jackson Pollock's work on abstract expressionism, highlighting how Pollock revolutionized the traditional concept of art by introducing a new, dynamic method of painting that involved action and gestural brushwork.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Willem de Kooning said about Jackson Pollock's work in the 1940s, "he busted our idea of a picture all to hell," he was expressing how Pollock's innovative approach to painting radically challenged and transformed the traditional concepts of art at the time. Pollock's techniques of throwing, splashing, and dripping paint onto a canvas laid out on the floor revolutionized the artistic process, allowing the canvas to be approached from all sides and influencing contemporaries to reconsider the boundaries and practices of painting. This method of 'action painting' led to the gestural brushwork that became a hallmark of the Abstract Expressionist movement, signaling a departure from conventional easel painting and allowing a more expressive, energetic form of creation that mirrored the artist's inner emotions.
De Kooning himself was a prominent figure in Abstract Expressionism and recognized the lasting impact of Pollock's work. Just as Pollock's canvases, dense with paint applied directly, were seen as a direct expression of his internal emotional state, de Kooning's own work, including the provocative Woman series, played a significant role in shaping the movement's evolution by reintroducing figurative imagery. Together, Pollock and de Kooning broke down preconceived ideas of visual representation, redefining the potential for all contemporary art that followed.