Lee Krasner
| Lee Krasner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Lenore Krassner October 27, 1908 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 1984 (aged 75) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Education |
Cooper Union National Academy of Design Hans Hofmann |
| Known for | Painting, collage |
| Movement | Abstract expressionism |
| Spouse(s) | Jackson Pollock (m. 1945; d. 1956) |
Lenore "Lee" Krassner (October 27, 1908 – June 19, 1984) was an American abstract expressionist painter in the second half of the 20th century.
She is one of the few female artists to have had a retrospective show at the Museum of Modern Art.
Krasner was born as Lena Krassner (outside the family she was known as Lenore Krasner) on October 27, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York. Krasner was the daughter of Chane (née Weiss) and Joseph Krasner. Her parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants, from Shpykiv, a Jewish community in what is now Ukraine. Her parents fled to the United States to escape anti-Semitism and the Russo-Japanese War. Her mother Chane changed her name to Anna once she arrived in America. Lee was the fourth of five children, including her sister, Ruth, and the first who was born in America. She was the only one of her siblings to be born in the United States.
From an early age, Krasner knew she wanted to pursue art as a career. Krasner's career as an artist began when she was a teenager. She specifically sought out enrollment at Washington Irving High School for Girls since they offered an art major. After graduating from high school, she attended the Women's Art School of Cooper Union on a scholarship. Here, she completed the course work required for a teaching certificate in art. Krasner pursued yet more art education at the illustrious National Academy of Design, completing her course load there in 1932.
By 1928, she enrolled in the National Academy of Design. By attending a technical art school, Krasner was able to gain an extensive and thorough artistic education as illustrated through her knowledge of the techniques of the Old Masters. She also became highly skilled in portraying anatomically correct figures. There are relatively few works that survive from this time period apart from a few self-portraits and still lifes since most of the works were burned in a fire. One of the images that still exists from this time period is her "Self Portrait" painted in 1930. She submitted it to the National Academy in order to enroll in a certain class, but the judges could not believe that the young artist produced a self-portrait en plein air. In it, she depicts herself with a defiant expression surrounded by nature. She also briefly enrolled in the Art Students League of New York in 1928. Here, she took a class led by George Bridgman who emphasized the human form. Krasner was highly influenced by the opening of the Museum of Modern Art in 1929. She was very affected by post-impressionism and grew critical of the academic notions of style she had learned at the National Academy.
...
Wikipedia