Nepenthe 1972

Editor: So, this is Helen Frankenthaler’s “Nepenthe,” painted in 1972, using watercolor and ink on paper. It’s so airy and dreamlike, almost like a faded memory. What do you see in this piece? Curator: You know, dreamlike is spot on. Frankenthaler, with her color field paintings, always feels like she’s tapping into some well of pure feeling. To me, “Nepenthe” hums with this quiet energy, almost like a sunset distilled onto paper. The way the pink bleeds into the yellow ground—it's less about representation and more about evocation. It doesn't scream at you, does it? More of a gentle invitation. Do you find that to be true? Editor: Definitely gentle! But that slash of darker pigment seems like a challenge to the soft wash of colour? Curator: Ah, yes, the linear elements. To me, those sharper, almost hastily drawn lines are the bones of the piece, the structure underneath the ephemeral washes. They bring it back from pure emotion and root it, give it just a bit of grounding. And Frankenthaler always embraced spontaneity. Those ‘mistakes,’ if you want to call them that, are where the magic lives, wouldn't you agree? Editor: I do. It's beautiful how she balances the controlled and uncontrolled. I guess, in that sense, it is like a memory; hazy but with some details sticking out. Curator: Exactly! Art's a little bit about discovery each time you let yourself wander, you see something new! Editor: This has certainly given me a new appreciation for abstract expressionism and a desire to maybe work with watercolors! Curator: And that, my friend, is a success! Art begets art, ideally.