Frankenthaler, Helen (frăngk`ənthŏlər), 1928–, American painter, b. New York City. A painter of the abstract expressionist school (see abstract expressionism abstract expressionism, movement of abstract painting that emerged in New York City during the mid-1940s and attained singular prominence in American art in the following decade; also called action painting and the New York school.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Frankenthaler was greatly influenced by Jackson Pollock Pollock, Jackson, 1912–56, American painter, b. Cody, Wyo. He studied (1929–31) in New York City, mainly under Thomas Hart Benton , but he was more strongly influenced by A. P. Ryder and the Mexican muralists, especially Siqueiros .
..... Click the link for more information. , with whom she studied. In the early 1950s she developed a technique for staining unprimed canvases with color that was later to influence the color-field painters (see color-field painting color-field painting, abstract art movement that originated in the 1960s. Coming after the abstract expressionism of the 1950s, color-field painting represents a sharp change from the earlier movement.
..... Click the link for more information. ). Her abstract works evoke a lyrical and sensuous mood, as in Blue Territory (1955) and Arden (1961; both: Whitney Mus., New York City).

Bibliography

See studies by E. A. Carmean (1989) and J. Elderfield (1989).

Frankenthaler, Helen

(born Dec. 12, 1928, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. painter. She studied with Rufino Tamayo in high school and at Bennington College, then returned to her native New York City and joined the “second generation” of Abstract Expressionists. Influenced by Jackson Pollock and Arshile Gorky, she developed a style featuring abstract colour combinations within large expanses of bare canvas. She perfected the technique of colour staining, producing diaphanous colour by thinning the oils and letting them soak into the unprimed canvas. In the 1960s she began to use acrylic paints. Though abstract, many of her paintings (e.g., Ocean Desert, 1975) evoke landscapes and are noted for their lyricism. Her work influenced the colour-field painters Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland. She was married to Robert Motherwell from 1958 to 1971.

Frankenthaler, Helen (1928– ) painter; born in New York City. She studied with many teachers, including Hans Hofmann (1950), and was married to Robert Motherwell (1958–71). Based in New York City, she taught in numerous places and is known for her staining technique using thinned oils and acrylics on unprimed canvases. Her optical effects first gained public acclaim with Mountains and Sea (1952).