Geometries of Expression at the Ogunquit Museum in Maine highlights Lee Krasner’s overlooked early career, focusing on her rise in New York’s art scene in the 1930s and ’40s. Krasner’s connections with figures like Mondrian and Hofmann, as well as her involvement in the American Abstract Artists Group, influenced her work.
The exhibition at Ogunquit sheds light on Krasner’s pioneering role in Abstract Expressionism and her experimental approach to art. Showcasing her early career, it features 38 works, including three of her paintings, 11 works on paper, and 24 pieces by her contemporaries. Geometries of Expression, spanning from 1937 to 1942, aims to reveal overlooked chapters of Krasner’s artistic evolution before her breakthrough with large-scale, rhythmic paintings and the “Little Images” series. It highlights her ongoing experimentation and development during a period often overshadowed by her later fame in the mid-1940s.
As a teenager, Krasner was determined to become an artist, undeterred by a high school art teacher who gave her the lowest passing grade just to let her graduate. She continued her artistic journey, studying at the Women’s Art School of Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design. At the time, abstract art was gaining prominence, though the dominant style had yet to be decided. Krasner explored various approaches, but curator of the show, Devon Zimmerman believes that geometry was a consistent theme throughout her career.
The exhibition is organized around four distinct themes, each showcasing different bodies of work. It highlights Krasner’s evolution as an artist, starting with her early drawings from 1937, which set the stage for her later works like “Blue Square” (1940-42). Krasner’s use of impasto and contrasting colors illustrates her innovative approach to abstraction, influenced by Hans Hofmann’s “push/pull” technique.
In 1939, Krasner joined American Abstract Artists, advocating for abstraction as a legitimate American art form. The exhibition features notable works like Krasner’s “Lavender” (1942), which utilizes color and texture to support abstraction. This is complemented by works from other AAA members, such as Balcomb Greene’s “Memory Forms” (1939-1971), Rupert D. Turnbull’s “Untitled (Abstraction B54)” (c. 1941), and Alice Trumbull Mason’s “Untitled (Red, Blue, & Black on Grey Ground)” (1938), all of which contribute to a compelling argument for abstraction as a modernist expression.
Piet Mondrian’s emphasis on simple geometric forms and primary colors significantly influenced artists like Lee Krasner. Her work “Untitled” (c. 1939-40) exemplifies this influence with its grid of white, blue, and yellow rectangles. Krasner’s later works would continue to reflect this balance and geometry.
The exhibition also includes Krasner’s contributions to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Unlike many WPA murals, which were representational, the New York murals were abstract, featuring colorful, interlocking or biomorphic shapes. Unfortunately, these designs were never physically realized due to the program’s conclusion.
