Artists Lee Krasner & Norman Lewis Paired, Compared & Commanding

Painters Lee Krasner & Norman Lewis appear to have very little in common on paper.  Krasner, a white woman (b. 1908) in Bklyn to Russian Jewish immigrants was a painter of post WWII.  Lewis a black man (b. 1909) in Harlem to immigrant parents from Bermuda was a painter of the same epoch.  Delving into their stunning & prolific bodies of work, commonalities can be drawn from their oil paintings on paper.  Today, while $ is being taking out of the arts in public schools, both Krasner & Lewis benefited from the public-works programs under the Federal Art Project.  Whether taking the B or D line between Harlem & Bklyn, the use of lines figured prominently in both their works; both in a gridlike & organic style.  The influences of Lewis's Harlem neighborhood impacted his luscious & lyrical paintings.  Jazz's is reflected in abstract notes & figures amidst cool, vibrant color palettes.  "Painting like music has something inherent in itself which I had to discover."  Krasner used geometric figures, hieroglyphics & symbolic shapes in her designs, within a network of lines.  Both artists painted using both determined & random brush strokes.  Their textural layering of paint is prominent in both their works as seen paired opposite each other.  Note:  Krasner's painting "Noon" '47.  It's accumulated slabs of vibrant colors exudes the warmth of sunshine & Lewis' sensual painting "Magenta Haze" '49 is magnetic.  Both artists credit Picasso, Matisse as well as Hoffman & Pollack as major influences.  Lewis moved away from social commentary in his works, "I didn't move anybody by it." In the 50's Lewis & Krasner painted in a similar sfumato style; painterly smudging having a softer, smoldering effect.  As a child, Lewis told his father he aspired to be an artist. His father replied "art is a white man's profession."  Perhaps, Krasner lacked support as a female painter in an all boys club as well.  Despite hinging below the radar, both artists shared a tenacious talent and a comparative style that catapulted NYC to the epicenter of the art world.  The works of Krasner & Lewis are significant, preeminent achievements.  Presented together, their connections ferment an innovative advancement in abstract art.