"I painted before Pollock, during Pollock, and after Pollock."
-Lee Krasner
Krasner in her studioGothic Landscape 1961
Krasner painting "Portrait in Green"
Photo by Mark Patiky (1969)
I've just finished an incredible biography on Lee Krasnerwho was artist and wife of renowned Jackson Pollock and
for many years was overshadowed by Pollock's fame as a
leading abstract expressionist. I myself have been heavily
influenced by Pollock since I started painting in '03 and
learned very little about Lee, yet have always been inspired
from what I did know of her as an artist. Probably most
people would just know her as "Pollock's wife" rather than
recognizing one of her paintings. She was a great strength
and platform in Pollock becoming who he did in the art world...
introducing and networking him to her connection of artists,
dealers, and critics.
In this biography, "Lee Krasner," Gail Levin who worked with
and knew Krasner personally, gives an account of Lee's life in
full.
A child of Russian, Jewish immigrants, Lee Krasner (Lena
Krassner) was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY which would
become the focal point of contemporary art. Krasner would
endure much prejudice and difficulties through the great
depression and in the following decades of her life being an
immigrant, Jewish, poor, and a female painter. Her art instructor
Hans Hoffman (in the late 30's) once commented on one of her
paintings, "This is so good, you would not believe it was done
by a woman."
This did not slow her down, but provoked Lee to be all the
more determined. She was a strong, outspoken, fiesty, tenacious,
funny, witty, and a damn good painter. More than anything, she
wanted to be recognized as an excellent artist equal to her male
contemporaries (Mondrian, Gorky, Rothko, Motherwell, Matisse,
Pollock) in which some she had shown her work along side of .
It took a lifetime, but Lee Krasner was finally recognized as one
of the founding and prominent leading pioneers of the first
generation of abstract expressionists. Six months after her
passing in 1984 at age 76, Krasner missed her retrospective
which would make its last stop at the Museum of Modern Art
(MOMA) in NYC. Ironically in 1972, she had picketed MOMA
with the Protest Art Movement of the 70's because of the lack
of recognition female artists received, so this retrospective was
especially important to her. Krasner was one of four women
who have ever had a retrospective exhibit at MOMA.
Because of Krasner's generosity, the Pollock-Krasner
Foundation was established in 1985 to provide financial help
in developing fine artists. Since 1985, it has awarded 3,569
grants totaling over 54 million dollars to artists in 72 countries.
Wow. What a legacy, and a life to be celebrated.
Thank you Lee Krasner.
The book is "Lee Krasner- A Biography" by Gail Levin is pretty
much available anywhere. Be sure to check your public library
for a copy as well. It's an Excellent read.
