The Marriage That Captures a High Point of American Art
An ambitious retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art examines the life and work of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner—to brilliant effect.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has hosted a blockbuster exhibition showcasing the marriage of artist Lee Krasner and her husband, the renowned Jackson Pollock. This exhibit, "Krasner and Pollock: Continuous Present," treats both artists with the respect they deserve, presenting them at their very best. It has solidified the belief among many in the art world that Krasner, who lived from 1908 to 1984, was not only more talented artistically but also possessed equal, if not greater, accomplishment as her husband.
Krasner stood out from the start due to her remarkable education, practical experience, and mastery of various artistic techniques. She received top-tier training at several prestigious art institutions, honed her skills through experimental mural painting during the Great Depression, and studied modern art under the guidance of Hans Hofmann.
Her painting period, spanning from 1957 to 1965, was brief but exceptionally productive, generating outstanding, vividly colored works. However, the reason behind her limited output during her peak remains a mystery. It's clear that Krasner's marriage to Pollock was both a motivation and a hindrance to her artistic progress. The couple's partnership represents a pinnacle of 20th-century American art as they both contributed to the emergence of abstract expressionism.
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