Painted on 21st Street 1951

Frankenthaler made this on 21st Street, sometime in her New York period, using oil on canvas. The dominant feeling here is one of muted tones, off-whites, like shades of morning light. Look at the way the paint is built up, thick in some areas and thin in others, almost like a conversation between density and openness. I can almost feel her in the studio, wrestling with the canvas, adding and subtracting layers, searching for a balance between control and spontaneity. Maybe she was thinking about what it means to make a mark, to leave a trace of oneself on the world. I think of Cy Twombly when I see marks like this. It’s the late twentieth century but also like the dawn of time. Think about that arc right there, how it seems to float on the surface, almost like a question mark hovering in the air. It’s these little moments that make painting so compelling, this sense of endless possibility and exchange of ideas. Painting is a dialogue, and each artist is building upon the work of those who came before, and whispering to those who will follow.