One: Number 31, 1950 is a masterpiece of the “drip” technique and among the largest of Pollock’s paintings. Begun approximately three years after his first painting in this style, the work is evidence of the artist’s skill and technical prowess. Calligraphic, looping cords of color animate and energize every inch of the composition, which seems to expand visually, despite its already enormous size. As he did for all his drip paintings, Pollock painted One: Number 31, 1950 with the canvas lying on the floor. “On the floor I am more at ease,” he said. “I feel nearer, more a part of the painting since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting.”