This is an interesting article about Harvard mathematician L. Mahadevan, who studied the physics of how the artist Jackson Pollock created his work.

http://www.scimag.com/news-DA-Jackson-Pollock-Artist-and-Physicist-070511.aspx

The author contends that Pollock was essentially experimenting with, and learning, fluid dynamics as he developed his artistic technique.

The drips, drops, and coils seen in Pollack’s work are the result of careful attention to the properties of the various liquids used, and the height and angle of application.

According to the article, Pollock was experimenting with “coiling fluids” quite some time before the first scientific papers appeared on the subject!