Prominent color field painter Helen Frankenthaler was a
leading force behind the visually engaging and dynamic American painting
movement known as abstract expressionism. Frankenthaler’s new way of making art
sets her apart from fellow abstract expressionist painters such as Jackson
Pollock and Willem de Kooning.
Frankenthaler’s unorthodox technique in thinning oil paint
with turpentine and then applying it to an unprepared canvas achieves an effect
similar to light and airy watercolors. By diluting the oil paint and pouring
the mixture directly from a coffee can onto the surface of the canvas,
Frankenthaler was able to create a distinctive and unique oil on canvas in
contrast to the dense and often dark works of Pollock and Mark Rothko.
Frankenthaler’s breakthrough painting entitled “Mountain and
Sea” (1952) was inspired by the landscapes she encountered on her travels to
Nova Scotia. The oil and charcoal on canvas is lyrical in its depiction of the
sky, forest and water. The pale and mellow blues and greens defined lightly by
sporadic charcoal lines are active, yet calming in appearance.
Bright pools of color that make up large, yet inviting
canvases define the paintings and legacy Frankenthaler left behind when she passed
away Dec. 27.
Obituary here
