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November 11, 1993 - Eye Out for Raptors20 Biography Optioned Streisand as Krasner? By Justin Spring Barbra Streisand rocked the Hamp- tons this summer by ordering her film production company, Barwood Films, to option Jeffrey Potter's 1985 oral biogra- phy of Jackson Pollock. East Enders have long known of the dramatic goings -on of the Abstract Expressionists —the heavy drinking, fistfights, and car crashes of these sen- sitive intellectuals have long been a topic of area conversation —but most had assumed, perhaps rightly, that such rare characters were, like the bay scal- lop, destined to remain a local delicacy rather than a national preoccupation. Ms. Streisand, reportedly enchanted by the area and its cultural history, may be changing all that forever. The summer arts community was Questions can be answered only by the movie, if it is made. particularly fascinated with the news that Ms. Streisand herself was planning to star opposite Robert DeNiro in the role of Pollock's wife, the formidable Lee Krasner. It seemed, frankly, impos- sible. How could gruff, hard -edged Lee Krasner possibly survive portrayal by a star whose fondness for soft -focus camera work and gorgeous backlight- ing is by now close to legendary? Such questions can be answered only by the movie, when and if it is made. Meanwhile, however, curiosity about Ms. Krasner is on the rise. In recent years the Krasner retro- spectives held by the Robert Miller Gal- lery in New York have achieved uniform critical acclaim. An exhibition of Krasner's later paintings (The "Umber Paintings "), mounted last spring, was no exception. And when Ab- beville Press decided it was high time to produce a monograph on a woman ar- tist in its "Modern Masters" series (the 14 previous "Masters" were men) the artist chosen was, of course, Lee Kras- ner. Her recognition was a long time com- ing. Throughout her married life Ms. Krasner was, despite her extraordinary talent, continually overshadowed both by her husband's talent and by his per- sonal notoriety. After his death, though her work received some recognition, she was perhaps better known for her sharp tongue and combative ways than for her corpus of extraordinary work. Now, however, thanks to Abbeville, the artist's paintings (beautifully repro- duced in over too illustrations, many in color) are finally allowed to speak for themselves. Ms. Krasner's paintings are vision- ary, innovative, and, at times, very vi- olent. They are also, even in their most somber moments, quite beautiful: rhythmical workings of brush over can- vas that describe, both figuratively and abstractly, distinctly autobiographical states of mind. Drawing from the Eu- ropean surrealist tradition, Ms. Krasner's work edges into abstraction but continually delights in color, pattern and texture. The work seems fully caught up in the dialogue of contempor- ary painting. It is astute, intelligent work that never hesitates to take a chance. Ms. Krasner's life story, as sketched by Professor Robert Hobbs of Virginia Commonwealth University, is about as exciting as any artist's life —male or female —can possibly be. Brought up Lena Krassner in Brooklyn, the daughter of Russian Jewish immi- grants, she preferred as a child to be called Lenore. As a young artist, she changed her name again to Lee Kras- ner. She studied at Cooper Union, the Art Students' Lcague and the National Academy of Design. Her greatest ad- vances came under Joseph Hoffman. She led a racy life as an artists' mo- del and cocktail waitress in Manhattan while attaining a position of some pro- minence in the WPA artists' program. By the time she met Jackson Pollock in 1941, she was considered a formidable young avant -garde artist and she was well acquainted with the work of Euro- pean surrealists who had fled Europe at the outset of World War II. Jackson Pol- lock was, by comparison, an unin- formed outsider. The couple married at Marble Colleg- iate Church in midtown in 1945. For a while, Lee gave up her career to help her husband with his work. She devoted herself to homemaking, and even took cooking classes. At the same time, she worked hard to introduce Pollock to her many influential friends. Through her influence, he was offered a show at Peggy Guggenheim's Art Of This Cen- tury Gallery. And through a loan from Ms. Guggenheim, Krasner and Pollock were able to purchase the small farm- house in The Springs that now bears their name. There, throughout the late forties and early fifties, Mr. Pollock did his most important work. By the time of Pollock's death in a car crash on Springs Fireplace Road in 1956, Lee Krasner's tempestuous eleven- year-old marriage to Pollock had broken down. She was away in Europe when her husband died. After the fun- eral, Ms. Krasner remained in Springs and continued with her work. In the years following, her painting continued to evolve, although it received The late Lee Krasner in her studio. Barbra Streisand may take the role ofMs. Krasner ina film biography of Jackson Pollock for which Ms. Streisand has obtained an option. — Waintrob -Budd Photo critical, even hostile reviews; she de- voted considerable energy, as well, to safeguarding the memory of her hus- band (financing, among other things, his catalogue raisonne.) In 1%3 she suf- fered an aneurysm. After breaking her wrist the same year, she did a series of small paintings with her left hand. In the seventies and eighties, Krasner, widely recognized as the greatest woman artist of her generation, was the recipient of many prizes and awards. After actively campaigning for recognition of women in the arts in her later years, she died in 1994. "I wouldn't say that Lee Krasner is being rediscovered," says John Cheim, director of Ms. Krasner's gallery, the Robert Miller Gallery in New York. "I don't think that's a fair thing to say. It seems to me that women artists are treated like actresses —in order to be newsworthy, they have to be having a comeback, while men on the other hand simply continue to work. The truth is, Lee Krasner spent her life being 'red- iscovered.' We've done five exhibitions of Krasner's work, and each time we get TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Preparation of Application through the Suffolk County Consortium TARGET AREA - TOWN WIDE Notice to all Town of Southampton Citizens of Town Board Public Hearing NOVEMBER 23, 1993 AMOUNTS OF FUNDS AVAILABLE AND REQUEST FOR IDEAS ON HOW FUNDS SHOULD BE SPENT In order to prepare an application for Federal Community Development Block Grant funds through the Suffolk County Consortium for fiscal year 1994 in an amount currently estimated at approximately $303,000, the Town of Southampton is interested in any and all ideas concerning possible housing and community development activities. All ideas for activities to be funded during the one -year period through the Community Development Should be sent to: Margaret Christy, Director Town of Southampton Community Development Dept. 116 Hampton Road Southampton, N.Y. 11968 These ideas should be received by 4:00 p.m. November 19, 1993 to allow ample time for review. HOW FUNDS MAY BE SPENT -The primary purposes for which Community Development grant funds may be used include the following activities provided they benefit low and moderate income families, aid in the prevention or elimination of blight or meet urgent community needs: - Building Rehabilitation and Code Enforcement Activities - Economic Development Activities - Acquisition of Property for Redevelopment - Acquisition, construction, reconstruction or installation of public works, facilities and site improvements - Relocation Payments and Assistance - Historic Preservation - Removal of Architectural Barriers for Handicapped Persons - Provision of Certain Public Service not Otherwise Available - Community Development Planning - Administration PROCESS FOR CITIZEN PARTICIPATION On Tuesday, November 23,1993 at 7:30 p.m. at the Southampton Town Hall, 116 Hampton Rd., Southampton, N.Y. the Town Board will hold a public hearing to provide the public with an opportunity to recommend activities to be included in the fiscal year 1994 Community Development Program from which the application will be drawn. The public is encouraged to attend this meeting and make its views and recommendations known. THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS I NOVEMBER 11, 1993 the same response — critics, journalists and the public are all completely bowled over by the work. They say, 'we never knew.' And yet we get headline after headline saying'Lee Krasner Emerges from the Shadow of Jackson Pollock.' It's very unfortunate. Hopefully as time goes on this will pass and she'll be spoken of in the same terms as the rest of the Abstract Expressionists. She should be. She was just as good as any of the men. The monograph from Ab- beville is certainly a step in that direc- tion." Mr. Cheim blames Krasner's lack of recognition on an art world that has tra- ditionally been hostile to women. Writ- ers on Abstract Expressionism have always praised decidedly masculine at- tributes in its artists, and many of the most successful women painters of the time — Krasner, Joan Mitchell, and Grace Hartigan come to mind — adopted the tough - talking, hard- drinking ways of their male counterparts as sort of pro- tective coloration. Moreover, Ms. Kras- ner suffered under the double burden of being not only a woman in a man's world, but the wife of the man widely recognized as the greatest painter of his generation. The legacy of this relationship has meant, so far as Ms. Krasner herself is concerned, that she is remembered less as an artist in her own right than as a participant in the life of her husband. Which is perhaps why so active and committed a feminist as Barbra Strei- sand should have chosen to option a Jackson Pollock biography rather than a biography of Lee Krasner. Pollock's life has been exceptionally well docu- mented, but to date, no biography of Krasner exists, nor is there a catalogue raisonne of her work. Toward the end of her life, Ms. Kras- ner was philosophical about her destiny. "What I considered important," she said, "was that I was able to do my work and other things would have to take their turn. Rightly or wrongly I made my decision." Meanwhile, as the East Hampton and Southampton art com- munities wait expectantly for Ms. Streisand's portrayal of Lee Krasner, this first book from Abbeville offers a roughly- sketched biography and phot- ographs of a very compelling —and cer- tainly overlooked —body of work. The Lee Krasner catalogue raisonne, currently being written by scholar -in- residence Ellen Landau of the Pollock - Krasner study center is, according to study center director Helen Harrison, due out in 1995. C RCF� FUEL OIL CORP. Reliable Courteous Fast 24 Hour Emergency Service Installations • Service Contracts Heating Oil 728 -2100 We Make Warm Friends Focus on Nature Eye Out for Raptors By Paul Stoutenburgh Hawks migrate in the fall when a cold front moves in accompanied by a strong northwest wind. Armed with this know- ledge, I always keep my eye on the weather so I can be ready for one of the great experiences we can share on the South Fork. After five days of crummy weather recently, the sky finally broke and we had our northwest wind. It was time to go hawking. I called one of my birding friends and set a tentative time of ar- rival at the Smith Point parking lot at the end of William Floyd Parkway for a a.m. Sure enough, when I got there Dennis was waiting in the mammoth parking lot that dwarfed his car. We walked west to where the national park meets the county park and took ad- vantage of the two-story visitor center, where on the second floor one has a pan- oramic view of this narrow section of the famous barrier beach that runs along the south stare of our island. Our first hawk was an osprey flying up the bay on its casual migration south. H fishing was good in the Great South Bay, perhaps he'd stay there for a while, or he might just keep on going until he reached Sandy Hook in New Jersey where he'd fish the back waters there for a while. No matter, he was on his way. Climbing the steps of the visitor cen- ter gave us that great view in the clear windy morning. For a full 15 minutes we saw no hawks but the osprey. Then down the beach we could see a lone hawk. Closer and closer it came until it soon passed only a hundred feet from us. It was a kestrel, one of 56 we'd be see- ing in the next two hours. The flight was about to begin. More kestrels moved by now, along with sharp - shinned hawks mixed in. A larger, darker hawk swooped by, fast and low over the dune; it was a Cooper's hawk tearing by us on the wind. The sun was bright and its sparkling brilliance on the water gave us a blind spot where often we'd lose the evasive hawks as we followed them in our glasses. A moment later they would pop out on the other side and we would again pick them up until they disappeared down the beach to our right. It reminded me of the grim games of war, for it was from this blind spot of the sun that attacks often came unseen, with deadly results. Once in a while we'd see a merlin or two; only once did we see a harrier, or what used to be called a marsh hawk. Showing long wings, it swerved low over the dunes, its white rump patch sealing its identification. All these hawks were hunting as they migrated along the bar- rier beach. Each had its own particular approach and favorite area for catching its prey. The little kestrel hovers in the air, as if hanging by some invisible line from the sky. When the time is right, it folds its wings and plummets down on its prey. Here in the dunes that prey would most likely be one of the sand-colored grasshoppers that lives in the area. The sharp tails, Coopers and merhns, are low -flying attackers that tear through the air and into the woods and thickets where their sharp eyes pick up unsus- pecting small birds or mice. We occa- sionally see a sharp -tailed hawk around our feeders in winter, for they often prey on small birds. The harrier will endlessly patrol the open areas of marsh and fields on his way south. His eyes constantly search for the slightest motion of a vole or mouse below that would provide the fuel for continuing its migration. As I've often said, these open fields, woodland patches, barrier beaches, shore edges and a host of other similar habitats are vital for the hawks as well as other small birds that have to be re- fueled along their difficult way south. Loss of habitat means loss of birds, and I'm afraid we're seeing their numbers drop year after year. Some of these hawks will fly as far as South America and all along the way they must stop and hunt. Think how we would feel if we were to drive to Flor- ida or points south and find our favor- ite eating places had been bulldozed and converted into high rise apartments, shopping centers or beach resorts. You'd be forced to look further, but if all the eating places were gone, you would find yourself in pretty dire straits. Hab- itat is the key to survival for all wildlife. Smith Point is only one small spot where hawks can be readily seen when the conditions are right on the East End. But when it comes to "real hawking," there are two places east of the Rock- ies that are world famous. One is Cape May, New Jersey, where in the fall the hawks and other small birds heading south funnel down into that narrow point. Then every hotel, motel and campground is booked solid with peo- pie who have come from far and near to see this unbelievable concentration of birds. On those special days when the conditions are right, you can sec not just hundreds of hawks but literally thou- sands of hawks of various kinds. The same is true of a place in Penn- sylvania called Hawk Mountain. In a time of ignorance not too long ago, this familiar spot drew hunters —or as they were known in those days "sportsmen" —who would set themselves up in the rocky crags just to shoot hawks as they passed by. As fast as the guns could be loaded and fired, hawks fell by the hun- dreds, left to rot and decay on the stony ledges below. Today a more enlightened public has set this area aside for the benefit of hawks and people alike. I have been there when the outcroppings of rocks at the top were crammed with people with binoculars scanning the skies for these handsome raptors —from the very young in packs on their parents' backs to 90-year-old veterans who return year after year for some of the best hawking around. Once again, the spectacle of our East End changes as the seasons slip by. Fall with its colors and cool weather lets us view some of the specialties it offers for those who know where and when to look for them. Look for a cold front moving in and try hawking at Smith Point Park at the end of William Floyd Parkway in Shirley. Kestrels, like the one above taking a rest on a fence, are the most common hawks seen on the East End during the raptors' fall migration. —Paul Stoutenburgh Photo I aMptoil��tricltat ' Deahl For 2�' �IKF rl'Sf, Cjahnde d � � -> -FO C, "1 d 1516.2g7•TOT5 -KID � I Ip,M{�ON Ra+�. 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