Helen Frankenthaler: Works On Paper

1546 Words4 Pages

Helen Frankenthaler was an American born painter, sculptor and printmaker. Frankenthaler, with two fellow artists, led the way into the development of Color Field painting, a component of Abstract Expressionism. Frankenthaler is recognized as one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century as a result of her contribution of great talent and the ability to deliver beautiful and innovative works on canvas and paper. "Frankenthaler's radiant canvases are known and admired all over the world, her intimate and equally powerful works on paper are as yet unfamiliar to the majority of museum audiences (Wilkin 6)." Frankenthaler created these paper pieces with the same vivaciousness as she did with her larger works on canvas building a large collection of water colors, gouache, and mixed media pieces. Helen Frankenthaler was born in New York City December 12, 1928 and raised on the upper eastside. Her father was a New York State Supreme Court judge and her mother was a German immigrant. Both parents offered Helen and both of her older sisters a privileged and progressive style of living. Frankenthaler was exposed to culture throughout her life and along with her sisters were encouraged to prepare themselves for professional careers. Frankenthaler attended the Dalton school, in New York City, where she studied under the Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo and later graduated from Bennington College in Vermont. Soon after graduating from Bennington College she returned to New York City where she quickly became a part of the avant-garde art world and the New York School of Painters. Frankenthaler was surrounded by notable artists such as David Smith, Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Willem and Elaine de Kooning and others. She also developed a ... ... middle of paper ... ... Frankenthaler's long career as a Master in her field has led the way for other artists searching for their own identity. Without copying others work and making it her own she developed her own style and way of expressing her conceptualizations and presenting them to the world. Her development and perseverance and unbridled experimentation of mediums has defined her as a pioneer of her time. Works Cited Arnason, H.H., and Elizabeth C. Mansfield. History of Modern Art: Painting Sculpture Architecture Photography. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. Brown, Julia. After Mountains and Sea: Frankenthaler 1956-1959. New York, New York. Gugenheim Museum Publications. 1998. Chilvers, Ian. Dictionary of Art & Artists. Kent, England: Grange, 2005. Wilkin, Karen. Frankenthaler: Works on Paper 1949-1984. New York, New York. Braziller. 1984.

Open Document