Lee Krasner (1908-1984), Special Rose d from “Long Lines for Lee Krasner”, 1969 |

Lithograph on Arches wove paper, sheet: 22 1/8 × 29 3/4 in. (56.2 × 75.6 cm) | 

Ed. 15/15 |

Gift of Robert H. Haggerty | 

1979.4.11.1.3 © 2020 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New Y

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Special Rose d is one of nine lithographs in a portfolio titled “Long Lines for Lee Krasner.” There are blue, gold, and rose-colored versions of the print—each of which comprises fluid lines and blotches of ink on a white ground. These prints are reworked versions of Krasner’s earlier lithographic series titled the “Primary Series.” Inspired by mishaps printing the “Primary Series,” Krasner revisited the lithographic stone and applied additional ink over her existing marks.

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By creating new lithographs from a previous series, Special Rose d responds to criticism on Abstract Expressionism and, in particular, paintings by artists like Jackson Pollock, Krasner’s husband. Critic Harold Rosenberg suggested that Pollock’s brushwork was a spontaneous expression of the self. In Special Rose d., Krasner uses printmaking to demonstrate the forethought and revision that are endemic to all types of artmaking, including abstraction.