Cubist, geometric, abstract, and seminal—together those words sum up the exhibition of Lee Krasner’s work, “A Through Line” at the Kleefied Contemporary Art Museum. The exhibition traverses Krasner’s vibrantly colored path, showcasing her wide range of painted works and collages from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Krasner takes viewers on a deep dive into line, evocative brush stroke, pure abstraction and pristine geometric forms. While not every work in the exhibition is fully saturated in color, it is nonetheless Krasner’s fascination with her color palette that resonates. Kleefield’s curator and director Paul Baker Prindle agrees: “She had an undeniable command of color.  Arguably, our current obsession with color builds on Krasner’s unflinching, proficient use of color…. [the work] gets you in a way that is ineffable, possibly even spiritual, and color is the foundation of that feeling…”

In Untitled (1942), moves oil across linen, contrasting vibrant red with muted teal and gold. Ten years later Krasner creates Number Two: a vast, geometric oil piece where orange and rust tones interact, resembling a city scape or perhaps a music keyboard. In Stretched Yellow, elements of collage repurposed from Krasner’s canvasses are introduced with visceral stripes of orange, umber, and gold, like sunshine through an open window, while inky black butterfly-like shapes dominate the foreground. The brushstrokes in Cornucopia dance in a swirl of peach and green; while the absence of color in What Beast Must I Adore? is equally palpable, a resonating percussive blackness.

The cool yet passionate nature of Krasner’s work, their liminal depths, and her innovative creative reuse of past works all shape an illuminative and important exhibition. Krasner—and this exhibition—are exhilarating and inspirational.

Lee Krasner: A Through Line
Kleefield Contemporary Art Museum
On view through May 19, 2023