Without Limits: Helen Frankenthaler, Abstraction, and the Language of Print
Saturday, September 4, 2021 - Sunday, February 20, 2022
In 1952, Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) transformed abstract art with her first soak-stained painting, Mountains and Sea, which she made by pouring and brushing thinned out oil paint over raw canvas placed on the floor. Her deliberate movements from above resulted in abstract works that seem both intentional and spontaneous. A key figure in the development of color-field painting, she was a tireless experimenter with color, form, and technique over the course of her life.
When Frankenthaler began creating prints in 1961, she had to adapt to a medium that would involve collaboration and a new language of printmaking techniques. Asking questions that began, ‘Suppose I do…’ or ‘Suppose I try…’ she approached lithographs, screenprints, etchings, and woodcuts with curiosity and vision. Frankenthaler achieved the same balance of control and chance she cultivated in her painting practice through many annotated proofs, or trial prints, that traced her progress towards the final impression. She, along with other artists, contributed to a printmaking renaissance in the mid-20th-century, collaborating with master printmakers at studios like Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) in Long Island, Mixografia in Los Angeles, and Tyler Graphics, Ltd. in Bedford Village and Mount Kisco, New York.
Without Limits: Helen Frankenthaler, Abstraction, and the Language of Print celebrates the generous gift from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation of ten prints and six proofs that span five decades of the artist’s career. Her work is joined by that of other artists in the Blanton’s collection using the medium of print to capture and translate their own abstract visions.
Gallery TextWhen Frankenthaler began creating prints in 1961, she had to adapt to a medium that would involve collaboration and a new language of printmaking techniques. Asking questions that began, ‘Suppose I do…’ or ‘Suppose I try…’ she approached lithographs, screenprints, etchings, and woodcuts with curiosity and vision. Frankenthaler achieved the same balance of control and chance she cultivated in her painting practice through many annotated proofs, or trial prints, that traced her progress towards the final impression. She, along with other artists, contributed to a printmaking renaissance in the mid-20th-century, collaborating with master printmakers at studios like Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) in Long Island, Mixografia in Los Angeles, and Tyler Graphics, Ltd. in Bedford Village and Mount Kisco, New York.
Without Limits: Helen Frankenthaler, Abstraction, and the Language of Print celebrates the generous gift from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation of ten prints and six proofs that span five decades of the artist’s career. Her work is joined by that of other artists in the Blanton’s collection using the medium of print to capture and translate their own abstract visions.
Introduction
In 1952, Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) transformed abstract art with her first soak-stained painting, which she made by pouring and brushing thinned out oil paint over raw canvas placed on the floor. Her deliberate movements from above resulted in abstract works that seem both intentional and spontaneous. A key figure in the development of color-field painting, she was a tireless experimenter with color, form, and technique over the course of her life.
In 1952, Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) transformed abstract art with her first soak-stained painting, which she made by pouring and brushing thinned out oil paint over raw canvas placed on the floor. Her deliberate movements from above resulted in abstract works that seem both intentional and spontaneous. A key figure in the development of color-field painting, she was a tireless experimenter with color, form, and technique over the course of her life.
When Frankenthaler began creating prints in 1961, she had to adapt to a medium that would involve collaboration and a new language of printmaking techniques. Asking questions that began, “Suppose I do…” or “Suppose I try…” she approached lithographs, screenprints, etchings, and woodcuts with curiosity and vision. Frankenthaler achieved the same balance of control and chance she cultivated in her painting practice through many annotated proofs, or trial prints, that traced her progress towards the final impression. She contributed to a printmaking renaissance in the mid-20th century, collaborating with master printmakers at studios like Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) in Long Island, Mixografia in Los Angeles, and Tyler Graphics, Ltd. in Bedford Village and Mount Kisco, New York.
Without Limits: Helen Frankenthaler, Abstraction, and the Language of Print celebrates the generous gift from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation of ten prints and six proofs that span five decades of the artist’s career. Her work is joined by that of other artists in the Blanton’s collection using the medium of print to capture and translate their own abstract visions.
Introducción
Cuando Frankenthaler empezó a crear grabados en 1961, ella tuvo que adaptarse a un medio que implicaba colaboración y un nuevo lenguaje, el de las técnicas del grabado. Ella abordó las litografías, serigrafías, aguafuertes y xilografías con curiosidad y visión, haciéndose preguntas que empezaban con, “Supongamos que hago...” o “Supongamos que intento...”. Frankenthaler logró el mismo equilibrio entre el color y el azar que ella cultivó en su práctica pictórica mediante muchas pruebas de artista o grabados de prueba, en los que puede rastrearse su progreso hacia la impresión final. Ella contribuyó al renacimiento de la gráfica a mediados del siglo XX, colaborando con maestros grabadores en talleres como Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) en Long Island, Mixografía en Los Ángeles, y Tyler Graphics, Ltd. en Bedford Village y Mount Kisco, Nueva York.
Sin límites: Helen Frankenthaler, la abstracción y el lenguaje del grabado celebra la generosa donación de la Helen Frankenthaler Foundation: diez grabados y seis pruebas de artista que abarcan cinco décadas de la carrera de la artista. A su obra la acompañan la de otros artistas de la colección Blanton que usan la técnica del grabado para captar y traducir sus propias visiones abstractas.
En 1952, Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) transformó el arte abstracto con su primera pintura con manchas de empapado, que ella creó al verter y esparcir pintura al óleo diluida en lienzos sin imprimar colocados en el suelo. Estos movimientos deliberados dieron como resultado obras abstractas que parecen, al mismo tiempo, calculadas y espontáneas. Frankenthaler, figura clave en el desarrollo de la pintura de campos de color, fue una incansable experimentadora del color, la forma y las técnicas a lo largo de toda su vida.
Cuando Frankenthaler empezó a crear grabados en 1961, ella tuvo que adaptarse a un medio que implicaba colaboración y un nuevo lenguaje, el de las técnicas del grabado. Ella abordó las litografías, serigrafías, aguafuertes y xilografías con curiosidad y visión, haciéndose preguntas que empezaban con, “Supongamos que hago...” o “Supongamos que intento...”. Frankenthaler logró el mismo equilibrio entre el color y el azar que ella cultivó en su práctica pictórica mediante muchas pruebas de artista o grabados de prueba, en los que puede rastrearse su progreso hacia la impresión final. Ella contribuyó al renacimiento de la gráfica a mediados del siglo XX, colaborando con maestros grabadores en talleres como Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) en Long Island, Mixografía en Los Ángeles, y Tyler Graphics, Ltd. en Bedford Village y Mount Kisco, Nueva York.
Sin límites: Helen Frankenthaler, la abstracción y el lenguaje del grabado celebra la generosa donación de la Helen Frankenthaler Foundation: diez grabados y seis pruebas de artista que abarcan cinco décadas de la carrera de la artista. A su obra la acompañan la de otros artistas de la colección Blanton que usan la técnica del grabado para captar y traducir sus propias visiones abstractas.