POLLOCK KRASNER HOUSE

After an enjoyable afternoon impersonating Pollock on the roof of my building, I was ready to make the trek to East Hampton to the Pollock Krasner House & Study Center. 

I’d been wanting to visit the historic place for at least ten years (probably as long as I’d known that it exists and is open to the public), so it was quite a treat to pile into a car with three of my friends and hit the road on a lovely autumn morning.  After about a 2.5 hour drive from Brooklyn, we pulled up to a wooden-shingled farmhouse in an absolutely beautiful setting with a view of the river and marshes.

After a warm reception from our very knowledgeable and hilarious tour guide, Myrna, we were welcomed into the barn, which had served as Jackson Pollock’s studio, and then Lee Krasner’s after his death.  After removing our shoes and donning foam slippers, we entered the space, which was filled with light, photographs, and ephemera from both of the artists’ careers.  It was truly overwhelming to walk through the space where Pollock had created such masterpieces as Autumn Rhythm.  The most poignant part of the experience was looking down on the paint drips and splatters, records of Pollock’s action painting practice and still completely intact.  You could even see outlines of specific paintings if you looked closely. 

After spending a long time in the studio, we took a tour of the house, which included the couple’s collection of books, records, and even their monogrammed suitcases.  As a fan of AbstractExpressionism, it was so interesting to see the chattels of two of the movement’s greatest members, and further understand and appreciate their relationship, both personally and creatively.

The Pollock Krasner House is closed during the winter, but reopens in the spring by appointment.

Dress: DIY (read here about how I did it)

Leather jacket: DKNY (also worn here, in my Pollock post from New Year's 2011!)

Scarf: Vintage

Tights: Hue

Boots: Zero + Maria Cornejo 'Aura' Bootie

Sunglasses: Alexander McQueen 'Blue Marble'

Photos of me by Micah Bozeman and Emily Hoerdemann and other photos by me.

LEE KRASNER

If I was forced to choose my favorite art movement, it would have to be Abstract Expressionism. It is a great movement to initiate a discussion of art because the works are very open to interpretation, and I love the fact that each AbEx artist had such a distinct style.

I also enjoy the backstory of the rowdy group of artists convening nightly at the Cedar Tavern in the 1950s, sharing artistic criticism, more than a few disagreements, and undeniable camaraderie.

There is an overwhelming aura of male bravado surrounding the Abstract Expressionists; however, a few women are included in the movement as well: namely Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, and Lee Krasner (1908-1984), wife of Jackson Pollock.

Krasner worked in the style of neo-Cubist abstraction, and often cut apart her own work to reassemble it as a collage.

She studied painting under famed artist-instructor Hans Hoffman, who said of her work: "This is so good you would not know it was painted by a woman."

Though his tumultuous life was cut short, Pollock and Krasner shared an intimate critical relationship that benefited their separate bodies of work immensely. In some works, Pollock's influence is not as visible, and in others (like the one above) you can clearly see the the influence of action painting.

For me, Krasner's work bears a unique color sense that really sets her paintings apart from the other AbEx works.

I was particularly inspired by her use of fuchsia, viridian green, and yellow ochre, which I worked into an ensemble inspired by her palette.

I'm wearing a vintage silk blouse, vintage sweater, Forever 21 leather and suede skirt (who knew they sold real leather pieces?), Hue tights, Frye wedges, vintage necklace, and Sorial suede handbag.

Thank you to Shey of Modesty is Pretty for featuring me on her blog!

[Krasner images from clicks.robertgenn.com, spanierman-at-easthampton.com, radaris.com, casacara.wordpress.com, and artezine.com, respectively.]