Rising Green

Lee Krasner’s Rising Green: A Study in Abstract Vitality

Few works in Abstract Expressionism channel raw energy with the precision of Lee Krasner’s Rising Green. Created during a period when Krasner was refining her signature approach—layering sharp geometric forms with organic, almost violent brushwork—this composition rejects the passive decorative in favor of something far more confrontational. The painting’s title suggests growth, but the visual language is one of rupture: fractured planes of olive and emerald collide with jagged black lines, as if the canvas itself were a battleground for opposing forces. Unlike the meditative abstractions of her contemporaries, Krasner’s work here feels deliberate in its chaos, a quality that aligns with her broader practice of dismantling and reassembling form.

Krasner’s process often involved cutting up earlier canvases and reconfiguring the fragments—a method she called “collage painting.” While Rising Green does not appear to be a literal collage, its fractured composition mirrors that sensibility. The interplay of angular and curved shapes creates a tension that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has noted as characteristic of her late-career work, where “destruction and creation become inseparable” (metmuseum.org). This piece, though undated, exemplifies that duality: the green hues suggest vitality, yet the slashing black lines introduce an element of disruption, as if nature itself were being torn apart and reassembled.

Krasner’s Late-Career Reinvention

By the 1960s and 1970s, Lee Krasner had long since moved beyond the shadow of her more famous husband, Jackson Pollock, establishing herself as a formidable force in Abstract Expressionism. Her late works, including pieces like Rising Green, reflect a shift toward harder edges and more defined geometric structures—a departure from the all-over drips of her earlier career. This evolution was not a rejection of her past but a refinement of it. As the Museum of Modern Art observes, Krasner’s later paintings “retain the physicality of her earlier work but channel it into more controlled, almost architectural compositions.”

The bold black lines in Rising Green act as scaffolding, holding the chaotic greens in place while simultaneously slicing through them. This duality—between structure and spontaneity—was a hallmark of Krasner’s maturity. Unlike the expansive canvases of Pollock or the color-field abstractions of Mark Rothko, her work from this period feels intimate yet combative, as if each painting were a negotiation between order and entropy. The greens, often associated with renewal, take on an almost aggressive quality when framed by those unyielding black strokes, suggesting that growth itself is a form of struggle.

Krasner’s genius lay in her ability to make abstraction feel inevitable. Rising Green doesn’t just hang on a wall—it happens to the wall, transforming the space around it into an active participant in its drama.

The Making of Rising Green: Technique and Intent

Composition: Controlled Chaos

The composition of Rising Green hinges on contrast—not just of color, but of movement. The central mass of green, a mix of olive and viridian, appears to surge upward, only to be interrupted by diagonal black lines that cut across the canvas like faults in a landscape. Krasner’s placement of these lines is deliberate: they neither fully contain the greens nor allow them to spill freely. Instead, they create a push-and-pull that forces the viewer’s eye to trace the painting’s surface repeatedly, discovering new tensions with each glance.

Color: The Psychology of Green

Krasner’s use of green in this work is particularly striking. Unlike the primary colors favored by many Abstract Expressionists, green carries associations with both nature and artificiality—it is the color of leaves and of poison, of growth and of decay. In Rising Green, the hue dominates but never settles; it shifts between warm and cool tones, suggesting depth where there is none. The black lines, rather than merely outlining, activate the greens, making them vibrate. This interplay reflects Krasner’s broader interest in how color behaves when constrained, a theme explored in her earlier Umber series but taken further here.

Where to Display Rising Green

This print’s high-contrast palette and dynamic composition make it a statement piece for modern interiors. The 30×40 cm (12×16") size is ideal for spaces where art should command attention without overwhelming the room. Consider placing it in a study or home office, where the green hues can complement deep wood tones or charcoal-gray walls. The black lines in the composition also pair well with contemporary furniture—think sleek metal frames or matte black shelving. For a bolder effect, hang it in a hallway with stark white walls to emphasize its graphic impact. Avoid overly warm color schemes (like terracotta or mustard), which may clash with the painting’s cool greens and sharp blacks.

More Works by Lee Krasner

Explore Krasner’s evolving abstract language through these framed prints, each showcasing her mastery of color and form.

Lee Krasner

Cool White

View print

Lee Krasner

Mysteries

View print

Lee Krasner

Thaw

View print

Lee Krasner

Obsidian

View print

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