Lee Krasner

The Seasons
1957

Abstract painting with swirling pink and green shapes, possibly depicting figures or flowers.

On view
Floor 7

Date
1957

Classification
Paintings

Medium
Oil and house paint on canvas

Dimensions
Overall: 92 3/4 × 203 7/8in. (235.6 × 517.8 cm)

Accession number
87.7

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from Frances and Sydney Lewis by exchange, the Mrs. Percy Uris Purchase Fund and the Painting and Sculpture Committee

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

API
artworks/6153

Audio

99 Objects: Katy Siegel on The Seasons by Lee Krasner

In 99 Objects

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99 Objects: Katy Siegel on The Seasons by Lee Krasner

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Lee Krasner, The Seasons, 1957

In America Is Hard to See

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Lee Krasner, The Seasons, 1957

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Narrator: Stand right in front of Lee Krasner’s The Seasons. Take a long look and follow those brightly colored, sweeping lines with your eyes.
Lee Krasner once said, "I like a canvas to breathe and be alive.” What kind of living, organic thing does The Seasons remind you of? Do you see fruit or vegetables?
Next, pick up an imaginary paintbrush. Slowly move your arm as if you were painting The Seasons. Lift your arm up and bring it around the full edge of the big round shapes. Let the rhythm of the brushstrokes move your arms wide and full. If you kept your arm close to your side you would get a very different painting.
Now, look around at the other works in this gallery. Can you find another painting where you can imagine the movement that the artist made? How about one where the artist moved fast? Or very carefully?