Tracing Paint: Pollock-Krasner Studio
• 4-star rating
• PCVR, Quest
• Art, Museums
• Comfortable, Roomscale, Stationary
Tracing Paint is a great way to learn about the modern artistry of husband and wife Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, presented from within a virtual recreation of their Long Island studio barn.
This 20 minute production begins with a brief slideshow before materializing you inside the barn as it looked in the 1940s, complete with paint splatters on the floor where Jackson Pollock had overshot his canvas. In fact this is how his paintings are presented for viewing within the app - on the floor where they were created. An English language narration is present throughout, connecting sections of introduction and interpretation with original audio excerpts from art critics. The narration is underscored with light jazz music.
Eventually the barn transforms into its second iteration, now with white walls, heating and lighting that allow Jackson Pollock to work at any time of day and throughout the winter months. Following Pollock's 1956 death, his wife Lee Krasner relocates her own art studio from the house to this barn, and is from here that she paints most of her future works.
Pollock's Number 3 from 1950.
The decision to limit the program to six paintings - three from each artist - works well enough to present the viewer with an outline understanding of their works, but folk will have to look elsewhere to see more paintings. That is also true about their marital relationship - how Krasner's background in art techniques was to heavily support Pollock's artistic progression, and how Pollock's alcoholism eventually cost him his life and that of a friend. You'll have to read up on that somewhere else.
Tracing Paint provides an excellent introduction to these artists' works, and grounding them in the Long Island studio barn is a great choice. The app also does a good job of allowing freedom of movement to inspect every corner of the studio, though with prompts to teleport to a specific area when another painting is introduced. Regrettably the graphics resolution isn't adequate to appreciate the paintings up close, but it could be argued that's barely the point with this modern art.
Krasner's Gaea (1966), positioned where it was painted.
✅ Great introduction to Pollock's and Krasner's work.
✅ Basing the experience in the studio barn is an excellent choice.
❌ Focuses on only a few works, but leaves you wanting more.
• Audio Tour: Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center
• Languages: Cantonese, English, Mandarin
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