What is it about abstract art that is so captivating? For many years throughout human history, the primary goal of art seemed to be as realistic as possible. However, once cameras were invented, abstract expressionism became all the rage.
While luminaries like Picasso, Rothko, and Pollock typically come to mind, women also made their literal mark on the movement.
Helen Frankenthaler is one such artist, and she is even more impressive when you consider that her career spanned six decades.
If Realism is an expression of our eyes, Abstract art is an expression of the soul. So, let’s explore Helen Frankenthaler’s soul, her career, and her legacy.
Helen Frankenthaler was born on December 12, 1928, in New York City. Her mother emigrated to New York from Germany, likely due to her Jewish ancestry. Her father was a New York State Supreme Court judge.
Frankenthaler had a relatively privileged life, especially in comparison to other countless families who struggled during that time of the Great Depression. Frankenthaler also had two older sisters, Marjorie and Gloria.
An artistic inclination seemed to run in the family. One of her cousins was the artist and photographer Clifford Ross.
The Dalton School was an Ivy Prep school situated on the Upper East Side of New York City. At Dalton, she studied art under the tutelage of Rufino Tamayo, who himself was heavily influenced by abstract trends such as Cubism and Fauvism. Here, she had her first taste of Abstract Expressionism and that exposure would influence her artistic traits throughout her career.
After Frankenthaler graduated from Dalton, she continued her education at Bennington College in Vermont. At Bennington College, Frankenthaler studied under Paul Feeley, whose artistic style was remarkably different from Tamayo’s. However, they did overlap with Cubism since Feeley preferred geometric shapes over other forms.
If Tamayo ignited Frankenthaler’s fire and passion for abstraction, Feeley helped her develop discipline and control to turn that passion into something that looked respectable, at least by the standards of the day.
Frankenthaler graduated from Bennington in 1949. After graduating from Bennington, she then studied with artists Wallace Harrison and Hans Hofmann in 1950.
Helen Frankenthaler passed away on December 27, 2011, in Darien, Connecticut. She is kept alive by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, which she started during her lifetime, but it did not become official until 2013.
Throughout her career which spanned almost six decades, Frankenthaler received a plethora of awards which included, the National Medal of Arts from 2001, the First Prize for Painting at the Paris Biennial in 1959, and the New York City Mayor’s Award of Honor for Arts and Culture in 1986.
Unlike other notable artists of the era, Frankenthaler was not defined by a specific period or artistic method. Throughout her career, she experimented with different mediums and techniques, and explored other art forms like ceramics, tapestries, prints, and, of course, paintings.
Almost immediately following Frankenthaler’s completion of her schooling, her paintings were well received and growing very quickly in popularity and getting snapped up and shown in exhibitions.
In 1950, Adolph Gottlieb selected her painting Beach for the exhibition Fifteen Unknowns: Selected by Artists of the Kootz Gallery. A year later, she had her own show at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in New York.
While her early work was certainly eye-catching, Frankenthaler did not truly make a significant impact on the art scene until 1952, when her groundbreaking work Mountains and Sea was unveiled.
Frankenthaler noted that she took inspiration from Jackson Pollock for this piece, specifically how he would layer paint on a canvas placed on the floor rather than an easel.
What was most remarkable about Mountains and Sea was the technique Frankenthaler used. She called her unique method of painting, ‘soak staining’.
Her technique was unique in that rather than applying paint directly to a primed canvas, she first thinned the paint and allowed it to soak into the material. The result was a vivid layering effect that resembled watercolor but had a much more significant presence. Soak staining became a viable method of artistic expression, that was emulated by other contemporaries such as Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland.
Mountains and Sea was truly groundbreaking and paved the way for a new type of art movement – Color Field painting. In fact, critics would later remark that it served as the “Rosetta Stone for Color Field,” highlighting its influence within the community.
Despite Mountain and Sea’s popularity, the term Color Field painting, the term was not coined until 1960. By that time, Frankenthaler had further cemented her iconic status as an artist, and her pieces were vastly different from the Abstract Expressionism of the 1940s and 1950s.
Color Field paintings, instead of having an emotional, frenetic, or frenzied appearance, were much simpler and more refined. Frankenthaler and others relied on large canvases, similar color hues, and simple compositions. So, instead of having shapes and lines that were open to interpretation, the emotion behind the piece lay in how the colors made the viewer feel. Deep red evokes different emotional responses compared to Light Blue, which is entirely different from Emerald Green, and so on.
From the 1960s onward, Frankenthaler could be more accurately characterized as a Color Field pioneer and luminary as she left her Expressionism past behind in the 50s.
Any artist who either experimented with Color Field or dedicated their career to the movement owes something to Helen Frankenthaler. Her pioneering techniques and passion for abstract coloration paved the way for many to follow, and her patented soak stain technique is still used to this day.
It’s unfortunate that Frankenthaler isn’t more widely known outside the art community, but she certainly made her mark throughout her long life and prestigious career. We can take some solace in knowing that she was celebrated while she was alive and not “rediscovered” after her death.
The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation currently does remarkable work, including the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, which started in 2021.
Discussing the life and career of Helen Frankenthaler is one thing, but owning a piece of her history is another. Here’s a roundup of some exquisite pieces you can purchase and enjoy at your leisure.
Although this piece is from 1995, it harkens back to Frankenthaler’s more expressionistic past.
This work is notable because it actually reflects the title, not just because she wrote it on the painting itself. With a heart symbol, an infinity sign (for undying love), and an XXX marking, it looks like a real Valentine with an artistic twist.
This was one of the few times that Frankenthaler’s title was more literal than metaphorical.
As with the Valentine painting, this piece is also somewhat literal but in a more abstract sense.
Although we’re just looking at large brush strokes, they give the feeling of heavy rain, which infuses this piece with a melancholy sentiment.
However, as if to show the audience that it’s not all doom and gloom, Frankenthaler provides some levity with what a reflection of sunlight on the bottom could be. Or, the scene could be upside down, further cementing the idea that all rain, no matter how heavy, must pass.
At first glance, this piece could be considered something of a Rorschach test.
Is it a slightly abstract depiction of snow, possibly covering a frozen waterfall? Or, is the title a purposeful misdirect to make you see something that isn’t really there?
How would you feel about this painting if you didn’t know its name? Would it give off wintry vibes, or does it seem like something a bit more exotic and unknown?
The beauty and greatness of Frankenthaler’s work is that it can go both ways, but the final interpretation has left a mystery.
Corot’s Mark is a perfect example of Frankenthaler’s Color Field period, which is fitting because it dates to 1985-87.
Although the piece is blue, the brush strokes and slight variations in hues give it more depth and meaning. If you were just staring at a blue square, you might not feel anything. But, under Frankenthaler’s guidance, this square contains knowledge of the ages and emotions beyond our comprehension. Its depth is only as shallow or endless as the viewer’s mind.
This is another example of Color Field painting, but with a slight twist.
It’s a combination of different shades of dark green, but Frankenthaler chose a more reductive method (removing paint) to achieve these shades. So, instead of layering paint on top of itself, she removed it.
This act enhances the piece and makes it seem slightly fragmented and incomplete, as if the missing paint is a part of the piece’s soul, lost forever.
View our currently available works of art by Helen Frankenthaler or contact us at Dane Fine Art for assistance. We are happy to answer any questions and help you find the artwork you are looking for.
Showroom
2320 Haverford Road
Ardmore PA 19003
Showroom
2320 Haverford Road
Ardmore PA 19003
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