In the late forties Life magazine featured a shy, brooding artist with a cigarette jutting from his mouth as he stood dwarfed by a canvas displaying a nearly indescribable orchestration of chaos. Overnight, millions of Americans received this image in their homes and businesses, and the legend of Jackson Pollock was born. Soon his controversial work and defiant attitude made him at once the star and the scourge of the art world. In the end, his tragic death at the top of his career, cemented his image forever as the James Dean of artists. This documentary traces the life and work of Jackson Pollock through revealing interviews and archival footage. Among the voices that relate the legacy are Lee Krasner, Pollock"s wife and fellow artist, and Ed Harris (director and star of the film Pollock).