Have you ever looked at those wild, abstract paintings and wondered why they’re such a big deal? They’re part of this cool style called abstract expressionism. It’s not about painting things you can recognize, but more about showing feelings and emotions in a really out-there way.

So, there was this artist, Lee Krasner. She was kind of in the shadow of her husband, Jackson Pollock, who was also a big name in abstract expressionism. But after Pollock passed away in a car crash, something changed for Krasner. She started using her art to deal with her sadness and heartbreak. Take her painting “Cool White” – it’s not just random shapes and colors. It’s like looking at the world while you’re crying, where everything’s blurry and kind of washed out.

You know that feeling, right? When everything feels dull and confusing? Krasner took that feeling and put it into her paintings. That’s what made her one of the coolest and most important painters around. She turned her own tough times into art that a lot of people can connect with. Interesting! No?

Photo credit: Lee Krasner in her New York studio, c 1939: ‘She didn’t suffer fools.’ Photograph: Photograph by Maurice Berezov. Copyright A.E. Artworks, LLC.