Description

Though deeply influenced by Abstract Expressionism, Helen Frankenthaler succeeded in developing a visual language which has its very own identity. Her so-called soak-stain technique of staining pigment into raw canvas helped shape an influential art movement in the mid 20th century and led to works of impressive transparency and lucidity. In circling around the recurrent themes of spatial ambiguity and landscape, Frankenthaler’s paintings open up a deep, nearly infinite pictorial space. Surrounded by golden color, the dark green, gray, and white form in Humming Gold seems to spring back and forth on the picture plane, floating in a space of uncertain depth. The subtle red line may evoke a horizontal line, giving the viewer an idea about one’s own scale and position in relation to the painting.