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How does the Painting Appear at First View?
Looking at the abstract painting, “Summer Play”, it is difficult to see the canvas as anything other than a bright, resplendent, and radiant wash of white, red, peach, yellow, and orange. This range of colors speaks to the painting’s seasonal title, giving off a sense of heat or even burning, but what else are we supposed to see in Krasner’s work? Though it is initially difficult to distinguish details in the painting, patterns within the colors, especially among the curved and sharp shapes that dominate the canvas, become more perceptible the longer you explore the painting. You could say that each hue plays a unique role in communicating what “Summer Play” is telling us.
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Summer Play (1962) by Lee Krasner,
a painting of abstract expressionism
a painting of abstract expressionism
Examining the piece more closelyOne of the distinguishing features that stands out the most is the streak of red lines gradually expanding outwards toward the top left from the bottom right. It gives off the impression of sunlight, despite its inverted aspect as it becomes more focused as it descends. What’s more intriguing about that cone of light is that it gives the painting a three-dimensional sense, especially when observing the dip created at the base.
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You can also notice what appears to be floral-like objects, shaped mainly by the color mixtures of red, peach, and white. These petals also become more prominent around the borders of the painting as they appear magnified, with several coming together to construct what seem like flowers. This observation establishes that tangible objects were most likely represented using red, peach, and white, which also emphasizes that each shade plays a unique role in the painting. Since the demonstration of color association is visible throughout the painting, it leads to the question of what other hues contribute, such as orange. |
More in-depth Observations
At the bottom, darker shades of orange are used and turn more yellow-orange as you move towards the top. This may show that the role of orange is to help discern the distance of each object on the canvas, which supports the hypothesis that the painting presents a three-dimensional space. Entities that are depicted closer to the viewer, such as the flowers around the borders, are highlighted by darker shades of orange. Lighter shades are used when the object is depicted farther away.
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After recognizing that orange works with depth, the painting’s field of view becomes clearer and allows you to tell where objects are positioned relative to the cone of light. With this establishment, it becomes more evident that the floral objects were not laid out aimlessly, but rather created a swirling path that switches between the foreground and background. When following the path, it may be difficult to form a continuous trail as it appears disconnected sometimes. This is because the path revolves around the cone of light, which sometimes obscures the view of certain segments.
The Overall Picture
With all observations made, it becomes easier to comprehend what is happening in the scene of the abstract art. It all starts with the perspective initialized at the bottom right of the picture, and the view scopes out to the background towards the top left. Orange is used as the shadowing for the painting to help show the solidity and distance of objects in the painting, as it fades into lighter shades for entities farther from the view. At first, you may think that the red and white are used only to denote heat, but it later seems like they mainly depict pedals and flowers forming a path that swirls around the tower of radiance. Altogether it appears to illustrate a floral-like vertex with focused rays of light acting as the eye of the structure, giving it a sense of natural beauty while also appealing to the sense of heat.
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With the scene established, it becomes clear the title, “Summer Play”, doesn’t literally suggest individuals frolicking during the solstice. Instead, it appears to describe seasonal blooms creating a breathtaking spectacle, with “play” describing the intense and abnormal movement within nature. It personifies the behavior of blossoms as they dance around the vortex. As for the term “Summer”, the color scheme consisting of red, orange, yellow, and peach can be traced to the season of heat as they give off the feeling of warmth. With other palette choices, it’d be difficult to capture the fiery essence of summer, especially if using hues associated with other seasons. “Play” can be used in a broad range of contexts, unlike “Summer” which is mainly bound to colors of high intensity. The pictures above serve as a representation as for how sharp the contrast would be between the title and the canvas, if created with different color palettes.
"I... continue my painting and
stay in the role I was in as Mrs. Pollock"
Lee Krasner (1908-1984)
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After first meeting in an exhibition during 1941, they became married in 1945
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Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)
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Despite Krasner's amazing reputation for her abstract pieces, it was difficult to escape the "sexist aspect of the art world". With views skewed towards masculine dominance in society, several female artists including Krasner may have been short on their received credit due to critics and galleries' preference for men. This was especially evident after Krasner's marriage to Jackson Pollock, a significant painter also known for abstract expressionism. Due to being beside one of the most influential figures of the American art community, Krasner would often be overshadowed by Pollock as she supported him through his works. An instance for the direct effect of her marriage can also be seen as the renowned critic, BH Friedman, coins the term "Action Widow" for wives of abstract expressionist spouses, including Krasner. The term bluntly implies that the women have a great dependence on men, furthering biased views on genders. However, Krasner's painting career never burned out completely as her art still gained traction, especially after the passing of her husband in 1956. With Pollock's shadow gone and Krasner's newfound grief, she created novelty pieces that incorporated these infrequent feelings. Krasner also picked up collages using pieces of her paintings that never sold, or by reusing Pollock's work that he left after his death. With Pollack's passing functioning as a turning point for Krasner's career, she'd gain more attention from critics such as Hans Hofmann who stated, "Her work is so good, you would not know it was done by a woman." This shows that there often use to be assumptions unfortunately made solely based on views of sex, denouncing female artists even further. But despite that, Krasner can still be remembered as one of the greatest and independent abstract expressionists, as she was one of the first artists to debut in the field. She had works featured at significant national events, such as Franklin Roosevelt's Public Works of Art Project, worked with several advertising businesses on visual graphics and designs, and accomplished much more. Krasner's image sharply contrasted with the former American view of female artists not being as skilled as men.
