Tales of Genji III 1998

Helen Frankenthaler made this painting, Tales of Genji III, with a lot of blue, and it feels like a dreamy kind of space. You know, the way one color can hold so many different feelings? Look closely and you'll notice how thin the paint is in places, almost like a watercolor. It soaks right into the canvas. But then, bam! There's that thick, juicy stripe of light blue running down the center. It’s like a waterfall, or maybe a memory. I can almost feel the artist's hand moving, deciding where to let the paint flow and where to stop it. There’s something about the way Frankenthaler lets the paint do its thing that reminds me of Joan Mitchell. That push and pull between control and chance, the way a painting can become a record of its own making. It's all about the conversation between the artist and the materials, isn't it?