I think it was June Underwood who introduced me to the art of Helen Frankenthaler. She is a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work in six decades she has spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work. I love the bold colors that she incorporates in her paintings. I was reminded of her work when I saw a listing for an exhibition of her work in the New York Times, today. The exhibit is titled, East and Beyond and is at Knoedler & Company.

She is described as the doyenne of color field painting.  Color Field is about the tension created by overlapping and interacting areas of flat color. These areas of color can be amorphous or clearly geometric. This tension is the “action” or the content. It’s more subtle and cerebral than Action Painting. (think Jackson Pollack)

Here is a photo from the exhibit:

These photos are Brother Angel on the left and Tattoo. The Times article said the following about these paintings:

Two of the most striking paintings achieve a supreme balance between East and West, and less and more. These are the exquisitely Minimalist “Brother Angel” and “Tattoo,” both from 1983, in which wavering monochrome fields of cream and pale red are inflected with little dabs and scraps of color that seem to be on the verge of sinking from view, like flower petals on a watery surface. Daringly Whistlerian and indisputably modernist, they whet the appetite for a fuller account of Ms. Frankenthaler’s long, resolutely focused career.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of her work and hearing a bit about Helen Frankenthaler. She was born in 1928 and still is alive and painting.

I had a good time working on my landscape for the sage/blue/brown challenge. I made a lot of progress today. I think I can finish it tomorrow and move on to my next exciting work which is top secret. I will not be able to reveal much.

If you like hearing about my daughter, Lisa, there is a great article about her scheduled for the San Francisco Chronicle Style Maker section,  this week-end.

We are all excited to have Steph come home from her photography adventure in Savannah, GA, tomorrow.  So proud of my brilliant daughters.  Hope you will have a great week-end.