May 26th Backwards 1961

This is Helen Frankenthaler’s “May 26th Backwards,” and it's a print, so it was made by layering inks on a plate and pressing them onto paper. I love imagining Frankenthaler making this. What was she thinking? Maybe she had a date in mind, or was looking back to a moment in her life. It's interesting how something as simple as a date can trigger a whole wave of memories and emotions, and how she's managed to capture that feeling with just a few strokes of ink. I find myself drawn to the yellow shape that sits at the center of the composition. It's kind of like a sun, but also like an eye, looking outwards with these spikey lashes. The black outline creates a frame within the frame, and the little blob on top is like a thought bubble hovering above. You can see how Frankenthaler's approach to color and form really resonates with other painters. We’re all having a conversation about the possibilities of painting. I mean, maybe we're all trying to paint the unpaintable.