Lynne Mapp Drexler
Encyclopedia
Lynne Drexler was born in Newport News, Virginia in 1928. She began painting as a child, and later took art classes at the College of William and Mary. In 1956, she moved to New York City in order to further her study. There, she became a devotee of Abstract Expressionism
, and studied with two major figures of the movement: Hans Hofmann
and Robert Motherwell
. Her time with both of these artists had a lasting influence on her work, which was characterized by vivid colors, free brushwork, and geometric shapes. Many of her canvasses were large and have a patchwork quality.
Drexler remained in New York City throughout the 60s and 70s, living for a time at the famed Chelsea Hotel
. She was a devotee of classical music and would often go to opera and symphony performances with a sketchpad in hand in order to be inspired by the music. As her distinctive artistic style developed, Drexler's paintings became less strictly abstract and exhibited a synthesis of abstract and representational influences.
By 1983, Drexler had grown weary of the art scene in New York and felt increasingly distanced from and unmoved by the Pop Art
movement, then in its ascendancy. She moved permanently to Monhegan Island, an artists' haven off the coast of Maine, where she had spent most summers since 1963. The island's unique mixture of solitude and community provided a much-needed respite from the clamorous lifestyle Drexler had lived in New York, and during this time she began to paint more prolificly.
Drexler died in 1999, on Monhegan Island. The first comprehensive exhibit of her work, showcasing over fifty pieces, ran at the Portland Museum of Art
from September 2008 through February 2009.
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
, and studied with two major figures of the movement: Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann was a German-born American abstract expressionist painter.-Biography:Hofmann was born in Weißenburg, Bavaria on March 21, 1880, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann. When he was six he moved with his family to Munich...
and Robert Motherwell
Robert Motherwell
Robert Motherwell American painter, printmaker and editor. He was one of the youngest of the New York School , which also included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Philip Guston....
. Her time with both of these artists had a lasting influence on her work, which was characterized by vivid colors, free brushwork, and geometric shapes. Many of her canvasses were large and have a patchwork quality.
Drexler remained in New York City throughout the 60s and 70s, living for a time at the famed Chelsea Hotel
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
. She was a devotee of classical music and would often go to opera and symphony performances with a sketchpad in hand in order to be inspired by the music. As her distinctive artistic style developed, Drexler's paintings became less strictly abstract and exhibited a synthesis of abstract and representational influences.
By 1983, Drexler had grown weary of the art scene in New York and felt increasingly distanced from and unmoved by the Pop Art
Pop art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
movement, then in its ascendancy. She moved permanently to Monhegan Island, an artists' haven off the coast of Maine, where she had spent most summers since 1963. The island's unique mixture of solitude and community provided a much-needed respite from the clamorous lifestyle Drexler had lived in New York, and during this time she began to paint more prolificly.
Drexler died in 1999, on Monhegan Island. The first comprehensive exhibit of her work, showcasing over fifty pieces, ran at the Portland Museum of Art
Portland Museum of Art
The Portland Museum of Art is an art museum in Portland, Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882, it is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District, and is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S...
from September 2008 through February 2009.