Details

Title

Study from Life

Artist/Maker

Lee Krasner (American, 1908–1984)

Date

1938

Medium

Oil on paper

Dimensions

24 3/4 x 19 inches

Credit

Purchase

Accession #

1979.7

Location

Currently not on view

Study from Life demonstrates Lee Krasner’s rejection of her academic training. The composition becomes a study of both positive and negative space, characterized by heavy, impasto brushstrokes and a bright palette. While the figure and some studio elements are discernible, including the easel and canvas at the right edge of the composition, it is apparent that Krasner was more interested in the juxtaposition of form and color than the studio setting. She worked across the entire surface of the canvas, giving rhythmic value to forms not in a hierarchical composition, but in a free flow with a special conception derived from the colors’ values.

Image Copyright

© The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.