Seer
1980
93 1/2 x 85 1/8 in. (237.5 x 216.2 cm)
Helen Frankenthaler
United States
(New York, NY, 1928 - 2011, Darien, CT)
Object Type:
Painting
Medium and Support:
Acrylic on canvas
Credit Line:
Gift of the Women's Council on the occasion of the Council's 40th anniversary
Accession Number:
1981.13
Location: Currently on view
Helen Frankenthaler constantly pushed the limits of abstraction throughout her long career. Many of the first generation of abstract artists, such as Jackson Pollock, highlighted the expressive quality of painting. Through her unique process known as “soak-staining”—in which thinned paint was allowed to seep into unprimed canvas— Frankenthaler pioneered the emphasis on color in the following generation. Despite her ground-breaking approach, Frankenthaler’s early achievements were regularly diminished by critics on account of her gender. The artist resisted such limiting interpretations of her paintings:
"I wonder if my pictures are more 'lyrical' (that loaded word!) because I'm a woman. Looking at my paintings as if they were painted by a woman is superficial, a side issue, like looking at Klines and saying they are bohemian. The making of serious painting is difficult and complicated for all serious painters. One must be oneself, whatever."
[Summer 2023, Adam Ranz]