Lee Krasner Quotes

Powerful Lee Krasner for Daily Growth

About Lee Krasner

Lee Krasner (1908-1984), an influential Abstract Expressionist painter, was born on October 27, 1908, in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants. From a young age, she exhibited artistic talent; her mother, Rhina Semykla, was a skilled seamstress and designer who encouraged Krasner's creative pursuits. Krasner attended the Women's Art School of Cooper Union in 1926, where she met Hans Hofmann, a significant influence on her art. Under Hofmann's tutelage, Krasner developed her signature style of abstract expressionism, which focused on dynamic, gestural brushstrokes and vibrant color palettes. In 1936, she enrolled in Hofmann's summer school in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she met many other artists who would later become part of the New York School. In the 1940s, Krasner began exhibiting her work and quickly gained recognition within the art world. In 1945, she participated in the famous exhibition "Abstract American Artists" at the Betty Parsons Gallery, where she met Jackson Pollock, whom she would later marry in 1946. Despite their tumultuous relationship, they collaborated on various projects and were instrumental in each other's artistic development. One of Krasner's most celebrated series is "The Little Image" paintings (1950-1956), which featured small, intense abstract compositions on paper or canvas. However, her magnum opus is the "Notes" series (1958-1962), which addressed her husband's death and focused on large, expressive canvases with layered, gestural markings. Lee Krasner passed away on June 19, 1984, in Springs, New York. Despite her tragic early life losses—she lost both her parents at an early age and suffered the miscarriage of a child—Krasner's art endures as a powerful testament to the human spirit and its capacity for resilience, creativity, and self-expression.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I was very much a painter first and a woman second."

Lee Krasner's quote emphasizes her primary identity as an artist rather than as a woman. It signifies that she valued her work and artistic expression over her gender, asserting the importance of individuality and professional pursuits in the context of societal expectations, particularly during a time when female artists often faced prejudice and underrepresentation. Her statement is a powerful reminder of the need for recognition of talent and creativity, regardless of one's gender.

"The harder I worked, the luckier I got."

This quote by Lee Krasner suggests that hard work is not just a means to an end but can also increase one's chances of success. In other words, persistence and dedication to a craft or endeavor can lead to 'luck' or opportunities arising from the efforts and skills accumulated through hard work. It implies that good fortune often favors those who are diligent and committed in their pursuits.

"To be an artist is a very good thing: management comes later."

This quote by Lee Krasner emphasizes that being an artist, one who creates and innovates, should take precedence over administrative or managerial tasks. It suggests that the primary focus of any artist should be on nurturing their creative abilities, allowing their talent to flourish before worrying about the business aspects of their craft. In other words, artistic expression and growth come first; organizational skills come later in an artist's journey.

"Success for me is not fame or money but to have done my work as well as I could do it."

Lee Krasner's quote highlights her personal definition of success, emphasizing that fame and wealth are not the primary measures of a fulfilling life or career, but rather the ability to accomplish one's work to the best of their abilities. This perspective underscores the importance of self-fulfillment, creative expression, and personal growth over external recognition or material gain. It serves as an inspiration for those seeking to find meaning in their own pursuits beyond societal expectations.

"I've always felt I didn't really start painting until I was in my 30s."

This quote highlights that artist Lee Krasner perceived her artistic career to truly begin at age 30, suggesting a late blooming or maturing of her artistry, with the prior years serving as formative and learning stages rather than peak creative periods. It emphasizes that artistic development can occur at any stage in life, and often takes time to fully mature and find one's unique style and voice as an artist.

With Jackson there was quiet solitude. Just to sit and look at the landscape. An inner quietness. After dinner, to sit on the back porch and look at the light. No need for talking. For any kind of communication.

- Lee Krasner

Porch, Kind, Need, Solitude

Well, let's say we acknowledged the School of French Painting - the Paris School of painting as the leading force and vitality of the time. I think that was understood and felt and experienced.

- Lee Krasner

Think, I Think, Acknowledged, Understood

You were told how much space so it was a matter of whether you could send in two paintings or three paintings, you know, pending where the show was being held. You did submit work to be accepted. Once you were accepted that was it. You did your own selection of what went in.

- Lee Krasner

Own, Submit, Held, Send

The Jumble Shop would be one place where we'd sometimes accumulate down in the Village. I think it might be just a place that's unknown that was right around the corner from wherever it was that we met.

- Lee Krasner

Think, I Think, Shop, Wherever

My own image of my work is that I no sooner settle into something than a break occurs. These breaks are always painful and depressing but despite them I see that there's a consistency that holds out, but is hard to define.

- Lee Krasner

Settle, Own, I See, Depressing

The procedure was that an artist got a mural and then he would have anywhere from two to ten assistants depending on the size of the mural and how many assistants he needed, or she needed.

- Lee Krasner

Artist, Mural, Assistants, Procedure

At that point it certainly would be called abstract. That is to say, you had a model and there'd be one or two or three people there drawing the model but otherwise you had abstractions all around the room, even though the model was in front of you.

- Lee Krasner

Otherwise, Certainly, Though, Front

As I say, I as an abstract artist was active politically.

- Lee Krasner

Artist, Say, Active, Abstract

In the late 30s the name Pollock was totally unknown and unheard of.

- Lee Krasner

Name, Late, Unheard, Unknown

Well, I'd say that the beginning of this thing came through with Art of This Century, Peggy Guggenheim's, where she opened this gallery and began showing some things that caused a little talk, amongst a lot of other things.

- Lee Krasner

Through, Some, Other, Peggy

Painting... in which the inner and the outer man are inseparable, transcends technique, transcends subject and moves into the realm of the inevitable.

- Lee Krasner

Which, Inseparable, Subject, Transcends

I knew de Kooning and I went to his studio so I knew about de Kooning's work. But only a little handful knew about it, you know. Maybe there were ten people that knew about it.

- Lee Krasner

Work, Maybe, Studio, Handful

People were very affected by the war. But it didn't mean you stopped painting unless you were called into the Army; then you just couldn't paint. But otherwise one continued.

- Lee Krasner

Very, Otherwise, Stopped, Affected

My studio was on 9th Street between University and Broadway.

- Lee Krasner

Street, University, Studio, Broadway

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