Jackson Pollock is arguably one of the greatest American painters of all time. Considered to be the poster child of Abstract Expressionism, his works are recognized by many households and by those with little knowledge about art. What we have failed to give as much recognition to is the Abstract Expressionist Lee Krasner, Pollock's late wife.
Prior to meeting Pollock, Lee took classes taught by Hans Hofmann who stated "This is so good you would not know it was painted by a woman." when referencing Lee's work. As a female artist, I would definitely feel slighted by that comment had it been made towards my work. This backhanded compliment by Hofmann further illustrates the treatment of female artists as second class artists. This ideology perpetuates the notion that women artists are not "as good" or "as talented" as their male counterparts.
Krasner met Pollock during her employment for the WPA and immediately responded to his work. She felt that Pollock's work needed to be introduced to others and worked to promote and encourage Pollock's talent by introducing him to various critics and artists who in turn helped him further his goal. A significant person that they met during this time was Peggy Guggenheim, who is one of the key players responsible for making Pollock a household name and art star. It is rumored that during Pollock and Krasner's marriage that Jackson and Peggy were also romantically involved.
Peggy Guggenheim Scene from the film Pollock
Unfortunately, Krasner's admiration for Pollock's work and the time spent promoting his career caused a decline in the quality of her work and debilitated her own art. The time and energy she spent promoting Jackson as well as the the added stress of being in a relationship with an alcoholic deprived Lee of time she should have spent working on her own craft.
Their marriage and move to East Hampton proved successful to their marriage. The move deemed helpful to both Lee and Jackson's artistic expression and Lee created works in a small bedroom while Jackson occupied the barn and created the massive paintings he is known for. While one can conclude that Lee and Jackson worked simultaneously and off of each other, one can also surmise that Lee's work did not have the chance to develop as fully due to the priority given to Jackson's work.
As a woman artist, the question that I am intrigued by is this: As women how is our ability to juggle motherhood, our careers, keeping a successful household, affected by our desire to make a name for ourselves as artists? What suffers in this process? The juggle of a modern woman's life in comparison to life in the 1950's is large. Lee devoted her life in ensuring that Jackson was successful but caused her career to take a backseat. How often do women, put their own needs aside in order to help those around her? The role of caretaker is evident in women's gendered roles and a clear link to Krasner's art work.
Lee was a phenomenal artist, curator, wife and her legacy lives on in inspiring female artists such as myself. My only hope is that as we evolve as a modern society, the attributes and recognition given to men will someday be equally given to noteworthy women such as Lee Krasner.
No comments:
Post a Comment