Composition

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Copied Lee Krasner, Composition, 1943, oil on canvas, 30 1⁄8 x 24 1⁄4 in. (76.5 x 61.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Otto L. Spaeth, David S. Purvis, and anonymous donors and through the Director’s Discretionary Fund, 1987.33

Artwork Details

Title
Composition
Artist
Date
1943
Location
Dimensions
30 1⁄8 x 24 1⁄4 in. (76.5 x 61.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Otto L. Spaeth, David S. Purvis, and anonymous donors and through the Director’s Discretionary Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract — geometric
Object Number
1987.33
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1987.33

Artwork Description

In 1940, Lee Krasner joined the American Abstract Artists, a group that promoted international ideas on abstraction and non-objective art. Composition shows the powerful impact of European modernists Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso on her work. At this point in her career, Krasner often combined nature and abstraction in the form of a still-life. She did not sign Composition at first, though her signature was later added, possibly by her husband, Jackson Pollock, who signed other works. Pollock insisted she sign her paintings despite Krasner's protests that European artists, such as Mondrian, did not. She later scraped down many of her works from this period to be used for future paintings.