Dan's Papers - September 26, 2008

The idea that an artist's working space may motivate, inspire and influence his/her creative endeavors is a long-time fascination for this critic. Some of the evidence is obvious. Artists who produce large canvases more than likely have large wall space. The opposite must be true as well: Individuals who paint in a closet will no doubt create smaller works.

Environmental factors also play a part, including the direction and kind of light, amount of distractions in the space, arrangement of objects in the studio, the outside atmosphere.While these factors are obvious, there are some aspects that are not. Consider, for example, Chuck Close's former studio on Spring Street in New York. With all due respect, it was cluttered, busy and to an outsider, maybe even disorganized. Yet Close's work is precise, detailed and anything but chaotic. His paintings are studies in extraordinary order, an observation that contradicts his physical surroundings, at least as they existed in his old studio.

Another case in point is just as intriguing, but not contradictory: Miriam Schapiro's East Hampton studio. It is (or was when yours truly visited several years ago) filled with storage bins, each with small boxes containing varied materials like ribbons, cloth and lace for the artist's collages. This configuration complemented Schapiro's expression of herself in her work: the collection of varied experiences (material) and roles which she would play throughout her life.

We could perhaps make a case for the way Lee Krasner's studios reflected her work as well. According to the catalog for her current show at the Pollock Krasner House, she first painted in the basement of her Brooklyn home. Such constricted space became a pattern as Krasner continued to work in small spaces afforded by New York apartments and her bedroom studio in The Springs. Her canvases were similarly small and detailed, as one might expect from such spatial restrictions.

After Pollock died, Krasner moved to his barn studio, according to Helen Harrison in her lecture, "Moving In, Moving On: Lee Krasner's Work in Jackson Pollock's Studios." It was here where the more spacious studio evoked a different kind of expression from Krasner, her paintings becoming enlarged and more gestural in nature. Her imagery also seemed more organic and liberated. Such an evolution may, naturally, be a coincidence, having less to do with her working space and more to do with her psychological state (or any number of other factors).

Considering the idea of liberation versus restriction, however, there is a case to be made for the differences. The current exhibit of Krasner's "Little Image Paintings" often shows density, contortions and chaos, like in "Shattered Color" and "Shellflower," no matter how "beautiful" the images are.

Conversely, work like "Composition" and "Stop and Go" are more organized, the recurring grid pattern signifying density but not chaos. Yet there's definitely a sense of entrapment, a quality that's a long way from the liberation Krasner experienced after Pollock's death.

The current exhibition will be on view at the Pollock Krasner House until October 31. Call 631-324-4929 for information.