The massive Lee Krasner & Jackson Pollack "Past Continuous" exhibit at the Met - NaBloPoMo Day 7

A major component of all my museum-going endeavors is to calculate when to show up to avoid the worst of the crowds. I occasionally succeed. There's just too many variables, including but not limited to:

- Whether school is in or out. Both can be a problem, meaning school field trips vs. families on vacation or coming into the city for the day.

- The weather. Again, it's not a clean if/then. If it's sunny, you'd think people would do outdoor things and not be at a museum. But also, if it's sunny, people leave their homes for an outing, such as the Met. Definitely though if it's raining, there are more tourists at almost all the museums.

- The time of day. But just when I think I have the perfect arrival time all figured out, I get there and there's a line out the door. So I have no idea with this one.

Anyway, I say all this to say, when Tom and I popped in to see the huge and extremely popular exhibit of Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollack's work... it was good timing. I high-fived myself.  (Although to be honest it's probably like being pleased with yourself for what amounts to just blind luck. But yeah. This won't stop me from both doing calculations like a mad scientist and/or chatting up anyone who will listen if it happens to work out well. Or not.)

"Past Continuous" is a really sprawling retrospective... I mean, I've never seen the whole back part of the second floor of the Met that is normally two separate exhibition spaces jammed into one. They also closed the store up there and boxed in the bathrooms, like this thing is massive.

But just like everyone probably coming by for this extravaganza, I'm fascinated by the individuals as much as their art. Lee Krasner... I mean, what was she thinking to put up with Pollack, and Pollack... how tragic. 

When we were visiting Mom & Dad at the retirement community recently, one of their friends brought up that she'd watched some TV special about Krasner and Pollack. Just randomly, I'm not sure why it came up. I was so excited to mention we'd been to the exhibit literally a few days earlier. 

No one could have cared less. I got stared at like a space alien. So anyway, that happened. 

But I have photo documentation, and it's good enough to qualify for NaBloPoMo Day 7!

A Jackson Pollack I never saw before and really liked until I noticed the abstract face over there on the right. idk, it just felt like it changed the vibe of the whole thing in a way I wasn't a fan of.

Early Pollack. It's different and interesting.
Apparently, he couldn't draw.

the influence of matisse is clear.

Loved this one! One of the last paintings Pollack ever made (if I recall correctly.)

Close up!

Another close up!
It's lumpier than you'd imagine but would probably suspect upon thinking about it.

From the side!
You don't often get to see this angle.

Lee Krasner. At the Frieze maybe last year I saw some arts that were very... reminiscent... of this one. What do they say about flattery?

Pollack.
He found his groove and stayed in it.

Krasner.
She had a bunch of phases, some of which I liked more than others.