Jason Andrew writes about two concurrent exhibitions: Jackson Pollock: A Centennial Exhibition at Jason McCoy Gallery (through December 14) and John Cage: The Sight of Silence at the National Academy Museum (through January 13).

Andrew writes: "Pollock and Cage were aesthetic extremes of each other. Pollock sought to make paintings that were entirely an expression of his manic inner ego, whereas Cage fought to remove himself completely from the decision-making process involved in art. And yet, Pollock and Cage did have one thing in common. They shared a common adversary: hundreds of years of European history, theory, and dominance in the arts. So while Pollock fought to break from Braque, Cage battled to break from Beethoven."