Free Space (Deluxe), yellow 1975

Lee Krasner made "Free Space (Deluxe), yellow" with gestural marks and a sunny color palette. Imagine her in the studio, pushing paint around, maybe with a big brush, maybe something smaller for the scribbly bits. I sympathize with Krasner—the way she allows the painting to breathe, to have its own say. It's like she’s asking, "What do you want to be, little shapes? Where do you want to go?" The bright yellows and greens are so alive, but it's the scrawls of black that really get me. It is almost as if she wants to ruin the painting! This feels very much like her. Krasner was always in conversation with the guys, like her husband Jackson Pollock, but she was doing her own thing too. This piece feels like a shout-out to all the painters out there, past and future, who aren't afraid to get messy and make something new. It's about finding your own space, your own way of seeing, and just letting it all hang out.