This exhibition spans some 40 years over the career of Helen Frankenthaler.  Although a contemporary of the New York School artists she is regarded as a bridge and inspiration for the Second Generation artists such as Morris Louis and Ken Noland. You see this in her work too, an affiliation with epic scale abstraction but with the subtle detached quality that is emblematic of the Second Gen artists. Color and large scale are the focus for this work.  Bright hues are tempered by

Helen Frankenthaler, Ameringer-Yohe Fine Arts

earthier tones which dominate in the massive painting, August Deep.  A strong enveloping sense of landscape emanates from this piece.  I’m reminded of broad vistas encountered in the South West where vast open space, for all its depth and distance, is somehow encompassing.  This does not equate to intimacy but rather suggests something generally atmospheric.

Over the period represented by this work Frankenthaler employed a variety of techniques for addressing the canvas.  Sometimes the paint is poured on, appears to have been rolled across the surface or applied conventionally by brush.  Large portions of the surface are sometimes left blank or covered with flat color.  Dimension is created between the forms or sometimes within due to the color. The focus is hazy in some portions such as in the painting above where

Helen Frankenthaler, August Deep

a large cloud of blue flows into a cloud of murky green and white.  A thin strip of red is placed perfectly to the left to balance the composition while at the bottom the forms come into sharpened detail with a contrast of bright orange and black.  The painting suggests the familiarity of landscape which is as far as it goes because the interpretation is open-ended.  Much of this work previews some tenets of Post-Modernism that would eventually follow.

Overall the exhibition is well presented given the number and size of the paintings.  The assortment is solid enough considering the time period covered and number of pieces.  As a mini-survey it provides a substantial taste of Frankenthaler’s vision as well as the range and variety of her work over theses years.

Helen Frankenthaler, Ameringer-Yohe Fine Arts