The Woman Who Painted the Seasons

by Penny Fields-Schneider

All Lee Krasner ever wanted was to be an artist. Passionate and determined, she pursued her dream. By her twenties she was Hans Hofmann's best student, and a vanguard of America's first art movement, along with de Kooning, Kline and Pollock. But for most of the twentieth century, art was a man's world, and even her peers failed her. Another obstacle for Lee was her marriage to Jackson Pollock, whose star shone so brightly, it cast a shadow over everything around it, eventually self-destructing.
The Woman Who Painted The Seasons is a vivid recreation of the tragedies and triumphs of Lee's life, including her determination to be recognized for her art and her passion to see Jackson Pollock achieve the success he deserved, It is also the story of the three men she loved, and the pain they inflicted on her.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Art

550 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2024

About the author

I have loved reading all of my life, living in school libraries, and like 'Matilda' walked up the steps of the Camberwell library as a five year old, where the very kind librarian gave me a library card and allowed me to borrow 'Ping'.
I always thought I had a book inside me, bursting to be released, and in 2017 the muse revealed herself! The Sun Rose in Paris came, almost fully formed and I combined things that mattered to me: a passion for art, a yearning to travel, a desire to remember a family tragedy that would be lost in time and a beautiful romance. One book became two, and then I knew it needed a little more, so came book three. But unanswered questions still remained... why did she go and where? Hence Sofia's Story was written.
The writing journey has taken me into some wonderful research journeys, interact with people all over the world, and feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment!

It has also led to a growing list of books that I must write! If only there were 48 hours in a day!

Reviews

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my opinion.

I need to preface my review by saying I knew nothing of Lee Krasner before reading this book. I knew of Jackson Pollock but only knew of him in the vaguest terms. I knew he was an artist and that he did drip paintings. But that was it. I didn't even know he was married. I thought I was going to find this book dry or boring, but I was pleasantly surprised.

This book follows Lee's life from the time she was a young art student in New York in the 1920's. It was very fast paced. The chapters were short and easy to read. It was an engrossing story. By the time that Lee met Pollock, I was already invested in her as a character. She was so fiery and determined to succeed as a woman in a male dominated world.

Following Lee through her ups and downs, both with and without Pollock, was eye opening. The author did such a meticulous job with the details that you feel like Lee could step off the page and talk to you about what was going on with her life at any time.

It took me a longer time to read this book than it normally would have, but that was because every time Penny Fields-Schneider mentioned a place, person, work of art, whatever, I went and did research on that particular person or item. I love when authors go the extra mile with their research and really stay true to their subject matter. I enjoyed seeing the works that Lee created. They are truly remarkable. Even more so when you consider that for most of her life, she was relegated to the title of Mrs. Jackson Pollock and not as an artist in her own right.

Lee's story was not easy, though. Jackson was a tortured genius. He struggled with alcohol and with self-doubt. They went through a lot together. They weren't always nice to each other, but they always loved each other underneath everything. And Lee was always Pollock's biggest supporter. But he was also her biggest supporter. I have no doubt that he would have been thrilled with her success if he hadn't died when he did.

For anyone who has even a passing interest in art, especially modern art, this book is one they should definitely read. Lee Krasner was a force of nature, one of those rare individuals that was consumed by the muses and created things other people couldn't. I'm sure this book will only lead me to reading more about both her and other artists of this time period.

My rating: 5 stars

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a bit nervous when I picked up this 731 page novel about Lee Krasner, a painter I had never heard of. While I enjoy going to art museums, I am far from an expert on modern art. I was so surprised at how engrossing and interesting this book is. I found myself googling people and paintings to learn more and had a difficult time putting it down.

Lee Krasner was an abstract impressionist painter at a time when female artists were not considered true artists. Married to the famous painter Jackson Pollock, her life and career were overshadowed by Jackson’s. While I am well aware of Pollock, I am a bit embarrassed not to have heard of Lee.

This is a very thorough and well-researched book. Fields-Schneider did an excellent job portraying all the stages of Lee’s life and painting a picture of how it was to be in the New York City art scene in the early 1900s. I enjoyed learning about Lee’s family, the struggles women had to be acknowledged as serious artists, and the scandalous art scene. Krasner was a complex person and I enjoyed all facets of her personality. Her desire to be taken seriously as a painter and her desire to be treated equal to men was so at odds with her support of Pollock.

Many of the scenes were upsetting and cringey as Lee and Jackson’s fights played out. Lee managed both Jackson’s career and alcoholism which made for big confrontations. It was difficult to read about Lee’s insecurities and her inability to stand up for herself. I was happy she had a good group of friends to lean on. There were so many people mentioned that I wanted a glossary of names to reference.

Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for this ARC. I was a Goodreads giveaway winner.

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

I had never heard of the artist Lee Krasner until I started reading this outstanding book, which is mainly biographical and focuses on Lee's life from her teenage years to the very end.
The author has thoroughly researched her subject, and this well written book was very hard to put down. I was continually Googling various paintings and events, learning so much more in the process.
If you are a lover of art history, especially modern art, then this is definitely not a book to miss. Extremely highly recommended.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***

This book is described as a "biographical novel" which I probably didn't notice when I entered the giveaway because that's not typically something I enjoy. I like to know when facts are facts and not imagination and it's hard to write a good novel when it is bounded by reality to such an extent as a biography needs.

That said, this was a good novel. I enjoyed the meandering flow of the prose and the low stakes drama of Lee Krasner's life as an abstract expressionist artist. The author balanced name dropping famous artists she knew with keeping her at the center deftly. I imagine that was a challenge since some of the people in her life had SO much more written about them than she has (she was married to Jackson Pollock for the #1 example).

Overall, this was fun. I recommend it to art lovers or people who like a slightly odd take on a biography.

[Linda Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one. The first 30-40 chapters were engaging and very telling of the real struggles woman faced as artists in the early to late 20th century. The art schools with their back entrances for women, spaces they were not allowed and the opportunities not afforded because of their gender. We are talking 1930s here so it’s not at all that surprising.
The story details the rise of abstract expressionism in New York and the influences of the early European masters with the main focus on Lee Krasner, her passion for art, her fight for acceptance as an equal and to be celebrated as such. She was definitely committed!

The next twenty or thirty chapters were a struggle to get through, detailing the difficult relationship with Jackson Pollock and their working life. Her dedication to his genius, as well as her own work, was nothing short of heroic. Behind every great man….. etc I found it a bit drawn out and annoying… but I guess there a point there, so no stars lost on that score.

A very, very LONG read and the conversations throughout the book are chunky which was a bit of a distraction.

The book did highlight the work of Lee Krasner and that’s what I appreciated …. hence the 4 stars.

[Kim Cart innes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I don’t even know how I came to add it to my holds list of audiobooks, but I really got invested in the characters. Like other readers, I would pause the book at times to look up photos of the people or see their art (the mosaic table exists on the internet!). I kept finding myself talking back to the characters — Don’t do it, Lee! Or just leave him, Lee! So many times. Toward the end as she aged it was cringey. I cheered her on in her youth and wanted better for her in her married years. But as she aged and was so mean to the grad student who wanted to interview her, so Lee got the student to come stay at her house to drive her around and do odd jobs for her — then would yell at her for all kinds of things — ugh! I just really wanted her to age with wisdom and be a mentor, but that’s not who she was. Still I really enjoyed the story of her life. Now I’ve got on hold a book about Mary Cassatt!

[Rareavis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book and found it very engaging. I knew a bit about Lee Krasner and her relationship with her husband but I did not know much of her early life and how she continued to paint and r=create her entire life. She was so driven to be recognized as an artist and had to fight to be recognized and accepted among the male artists of the time. I have a great respect for her and now want to look at the art she created over her lifetime.

[Susan Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long but worth it

I didn't know much about Jackson Pollock and had no idea he'd ever been married so this book was an enlightenment to me. It was a bit slow going in places but well worth reading to the end.

[Glo Sollecito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly well researched and comprehensive account of Lee Krasner. Although officially a work of historical fiction, it was filled with accurate details about her life and the New York art world of her time. I especially enjoyed the insight into the details of her art practice and all the background information. Parts were very relatable to me as a woman artist.

[Philip Waldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world of Krasner.

The engrossing world of modern art in the Twentieth Century and the life of Lee Krasner are brought to life in this well written book. Her struggles and accomplishments, relationships and friends are examined along with her tempestuous life with Jackson Pollack. Fact and fiction bring it all together.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biographical novel well researched!
Abstract expressionism is hands-down my favorite style of painting so I try to read everything I can find on the subject. I tripped across this by accident, and it did not disappoint!

[Nikki Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Lee is a true inspiration for women artists & women in general. I highly recommend this book. 👍

[Suanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about art and artists (especially women artists and their struggles for recognition in the male-oriented art world), so I was particularly drawn to this book. The Woman Who Painted the Seasons is the fictional biography of Lena Krassner (who renames herself Lee Krasner), the “anchor baby” of a Jewish family that immigrated from Ukraine. From an early age, she determines to become an artist, and this book follows her from her endeavors beginning in high school in the 1920s and her progress through various art professors in multiple New York art schools.

Early on, the language seems overly simplistic, and there isn’t a lot going on other than class work, so I nearly abandoned the book. However, knowing Krasner would eventually intersect with—and marry—Jackson Pollack, the Abstract Expressionist artist, I persisted.

The book is clearly well-researched and reveals the careers of both Krasner (who managed Pollack’s work and later his estate) and Pollack in detail. Pollack is an alcoholic who becomes abusive when drunk—which becomes most of the time. Krasner, though, believes in his genius and persists in managing his career while trying to controlling his alcohol consumption. Her drive to become an artist recognized as an equal to any male artist is often submerged beneath her attempts to stabilize Pollack. Their relationship slowly destabilizes, and the story becomes quite intense as Fields-Schneider documents Pollack’s abuse and Krasner’s willingness to endure it. Eventually, she leaves him. Her own success comes considerably after Pollack’s but is well-deserved.

I have studied art myself and have a more-than-passing knowledge of contemporary art and knew most of the paintings and artists mentioned. That said, you can read and enjoy the story without having a background on the subject. I'd rate the first third of the book at a 3 and the rest at a 5, averaging to a 4, but it's worth persisting to watch Krasner arise to the top of her field.

[Jaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always wondered about Mrs. Jason Pollock…aka Lee Krasner and here is the book that answered all my questions! I knew Lee Krasner was an artist in her own right and I had read that she was pretty much a caretaker and promoter for the alcoholic, misogynistic Pollock. I do like many modern abstract artists…Mark Rothko is a favorite, but I am not a Pollock fan. I did find Krasner’s history…time before Pollock…time with ..and time after to be very enlightening. Her persistent struggle to became an artist of renowned in a male dominant world was inspiring. I understand that the deep love that she has for Pollock attributed to her need to care for him which caused her own career to be somewhat disrupted. But I was pleased to read that she was able to move on after his untimely death; to be able to move on with her own career while still protecting and managing his work and legacy; to have nearly 30 years to become an artist in her own right!

[Ccdemaio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really was interested in learning about Lee Krasner and her life, and this book covered it from birth to death. But Lordy! Did it not have an editor? This book desperately needed to be tightened up. It is WAY too detailed and long, and suffers for it.

Lee was such a pioneer as an artist who wanted to recognized for her art, not her gender or who she was married to. Clearly she lived in the shadow of her drunken, abusive husband, Jackson Pollack. And she clearly loved him, despite his illness.

I would recommend another book on Lee Krasner rather than this historical novel. Get a biography. This one way too long and poorly edited.

[Pam Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really more than a 5 star read. The historical accuracy of Lee Krasner’s life in the art world is on point. Seasoned with fictional bits but it follows her generation of artists in the early, middle and full on abstract expressionism movement, galleries, friendships and other connections. I highly recommend this read and if not for the love abstract expressionism then for the eye opening struggles women were faced with in a male dominated world. Her stabilizing devotion to be called ‘ an artist’ without qualifying which gender is inspiring. Bravo!!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a causal fan of modern art I had never heard of Lee Krasner. This book is biographical fiction and it tells the story of Krasner from her teenage days in the 1920’s to her death in the 1980’s. She fought for women to recognized as professional artists. A large portion of the book is devoted to her volatile marriage to artist Jackson Pollock. This is a long book over 700 and well researched. I recommend it for art fans. I won a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Margaret A. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Driven Artist

A truly wonderful inside look at the life of a prominent America’s female artist and how difficult it was to be recognized in a male dominated venue. Most of us are not aware of this field too being biased against a woman capable of making masterful art. A walk through the Modern in NYC will prove it’s so! Very well researched to give the reader a first hand look into this remarkable artist and wife of Jackson Pollock.

[Vonnie Diehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seasons, a painting

A long book that taught me so much about both Jackson Pollack and the main character Lee Krasner. Filled with art history and living the life of a dedicated artist, I'm left with the feeling of having met Lee, that she deserves to be even more prominent in our studies of great painters. I would recommend tis book to any one who has ever pick up a paint brush .

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had never before heard of Lee Krasner, so am glad to have learned something new. The beginning was interesting, but it began to drag. Once she began her relationship with Jackson Pollock, eventually marrying him, it seems Krasner allowed her own artwork to take a sideline to Pollock's and she focused more on helping his career. Far too much was written about Pollock's alcohol addiction and philandering.

[Kimberly Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich and rewarding read!

I was a bit skeptical when my book club took on this book to read…I have no obvious interest in fine arts or painting, but I was game to give this book a try as a good book club member. I guess I would have to say I was surprised bordering on shocked at how much I deeply enjoyed reading this book!! It is a page-turner, interesting and deeply intriguing. I haven’t enjoyed a story this much in quite some time. I highly recommend that you read it!!!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about Lee Kramer before this book and a little about Jackson Pollack. It was a long well researched book which I enjoyed. I found myself researching paintings and places. Covering her life as a young Jewish daughter, through her life in turmoil with Pollack to the end it kept me listening. Her dedication to Pollack even after his death was incredible. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys art and determination.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a biography of Lee Krasner, one of the original abstract expressionist artists. As a woman, she constantly struggled for recognition as a serious artist. Her marriage to Jackson Pollock often overshadowed her. Her love and unwavering support for him, without a doubt, was truly significant in his rise to fame and what kept him alive as long as he did. Fortunately, Lee gained the recognition she deserved. Definitely a strong, determined and resilient woman. Fascinating!

[Jean Schnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Went back to the library before I finished it. This detailed in great detail what it is like to be married to an alcoholic, which Jackson Pollack was. Just getting to the part when the marriage was dissolving, so I hope the story gets more to her painting. It got tedious, as she was an enabler.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A painter not to be forgotten

I never heard of Lee before,A woman artist..A dramatic life and so much art explained with her life with Pollock.. Enjoyable and a lot learned..awesome book

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional read

I had no idea when I started this book what is really was all about. However once I started reading I was taken to a well written story which I very much enjoyed. Lee wanted to be known as an "artist"!

[Fofi Meehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I knew of Jackson Pollock I knew nothing about his wife so found this book both fascinating and sad at all she endured. Although it was informative it was very long and I feel it would have benefited from some editing.

[Hale Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great book, but a warm and emotional account of Krasner's long life.

[Sharron Grobner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for pollack fans, fascinated by his wife

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally enjoyable and educational. Great insights into Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock.