Lee Krasner

by Hobbs, Robert Carleton

• ISBN13: 9781558592834
• ISBN10: 1558592830
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-09-01
• Publisher: Abbeville Press

Summary

Lee Krasner never took the easy way out — not in life, not in art. Brought up in a poor Brooklyn neighborhood and originally named Lena Krasner by her immigrant parents, she decided early on to create a new name and a new identity for herself. Later, as one of the few female painters in the aggressively male circle of Abstract Expressionists, she had to contend not only with the critics' skepticism about their new way of making art but also with the skepticism that greeted any woman's attempts to become a professional artist.Many of Krasner's male colleagues — including her husband, Jackson Pollock — developed a unique "signature" style that identified them throughout their careers. Krasner, however, experimented with one style after another, from her early geometric abstractions (created while she was one of Hans Hofmann's most talented students), through her large-scale organic images of mid-career, to the hard-edge compositions of her late years. Certain elements recur throughout — most notably, her distinctive sense of color, her affinity for swelling forms inspired by nature, and her fearlessness in experimenting with new techniques.Krasner's unwillingness to stick to one style, her readiness to put her career aside to focus on Pollock's, and her feuds with some of the period's most powerful critics all reduced her visibility in the art world. She has been the subject of exhibition catalogs, but this is the first monograph devoted to her work, and it brings to light all the intriguing complexities of her approach to making art. Dr. Robert Hobbs skillfully explores the twists and turns of her career, offering new information and insight about one of the most intriguing painters of the postwar era.About the Modern Masters series:With informative, enjoyable texts and over 100 illustrations — approximately 48 in full color — this innovative series offers a fresh look at the most creative and influential artists of the postwar era. The authors are highly respected art historians and critics chosen for their ability to think clearly and write well. Each handsomely designed volume presents a thorough survey of the artist's life and work, as well as statements by the artist, an illustrated chapter on technique, a chronology, lists of exhibitions and public collections, an annotated bibliography, and an index. Every art lover, from the casual museum goer to the serious student, teacher, critic, or curator, will be eager to collect these Modern Masters. And with such a low price, they can afford to collect them all.

Table of Contents

Introduction	7	(6)
Lenore Krassner	13	(8)
The Modernist	21	(14)
``I Am Nature''	35	(16)
Collages and Other Conversations	51	(22)
Change Is the Only Constant	73	(23)
Notes	96	(3)
Artist's Statements	99	(4)
Notes on Technique	103	(8)
Chronology	111	(5)
Exhibitions	116	(5)
Public Collections	121	(1)
Selected Bibliography	122	(3)
Index	125