A masterwork of explosive gesture and intimate emotional intent, Camouflage is a physical manifestation of Lee Krasner’s brilliant regeneration—both personal and artistic—following a period of extraordinary emotional hardship. Painted in 1963, the present work embodies a pivotal moment for the artist: directly preceded by Krasner's celebrated Umber paintings, a series of ferocious canvases fueled by insomnia and grief for the loss of both her husband, Jackson Pollock, and mother, Camouflage summons the same psychic power as those paintings, but liberated from the underlying trauma which infused them. Across the surface of the present work, Krasner’s forms relax from fervent blows into graceful arcs; her touch is virtuosic as ever, but more intentional. Color returns, as well as images of flowering and opening and birds. Speaking to the artist about the present work, art historian Cindy Nemser described: “The forms have become small clusters of images embedded within the defining lines. I get a feeling of lightness and playfulness in these paintings. You were taking yourself out of the conflict and the works are freer and more relaxed. In Camouflage, you have really gone underground." To this, Krasner agreed:

Epitomizing the sense of life and growth which infused Krasner’s paintings at this particular moment, Camouflage is a superlative example of the artist’s signature mode; at once unruly and lyrical, combative and delicate, conclusive and regenerative, the simultaneous grace and intensity of this canvas serve as irrefutable evidence of Krasner’s status amongst the most celebrated icons of Abstract Expressionism.

Like many of the artist’s best-known paintings, the title of Camouflage is both simplistic and highly enigmatic; its abstract surface alludes to, yet never reveals, an underlying narrative. As suggested by the artist herself, Camouflage invites the notion of safety, sanctuary, and perhaps disguise; this instinct towards self-preservation likely alludes to a further traumatic event Krasner experienced in late 1962, some months before she painted the present work. On Christmas Night of 1962, Krasner was rushed to the hospital with a brain hemorrhage and, after underoing surgery in early January, began her long period of convalescence at the Hotel Adams. This brush with death—so soon after the deaths of both her husband and mother—shook Krasner deeply. Yet it’s result was a renaissance and a re-birth as, upon emerging from her recovery, Krasner was struck anew by the inspiration she had always found in nature. The title of Camouflage—as well as such 1963 paintings Another Storm and Dicohtomy—reflect this upheaval, and the duality of an artist in healing.

Dappling the surface like so much gleaming sunshine, the nearly monochromatic swaths of yellowish orange arc across the unbleached canvas with compelling intensity. The stippling technique and all-over patterning recalls both Krasner’s early Little Images, such as Noon of 1949, as well as well as some of Pollock’s Sounds in the Grass works of the 1940s. The forms and sprays hidden within the strong, zigzagging lines of the present work evoke a sense of intimacy in the viewer: as if we alone may see what the artist wishes to conceal or disguise. Within Krasner’s remarkably autobiographical oeuvre, Camouflage is a deeply personal, invigorating painting. Executed with the artist’s signature virtuosic certainty and vigor, this painting epitomizes Edward Albee’s glowing review of her work in the catalogue for her show at Robert Miller Gallery: “I will brook no interference when I assert that Lee Krasner is not only the finest woman painter the U.S. has produced in this century but – since sex is not really the vital matter here – is right in the top of the pile of the great 20th century American artists, period.” (Edward Albee, "Considering Krasner," in: Exh. Cat., New York, Robert Miller Gallery, Lee Krasner Paintings 1965 to 1970, 1991, n.p.)

Artist

Lee Krasner