Aerie 2009

Helen Frankenthaler made "Aerie" with fluid strokes of color on a white ground, creating a world that feels both delicate and expansive. It’s like watching color find its own way, a dance between intention and chance. Look at the way the reds bleed and bloom across the surface, held in check by the lighter blues and whites. The paint isn’t thick or showy; it’s more like a stain, soaking into the canvas, becoming one with it. Notice those small drips, the little rivulets of color running down. They're not mistakes; they're part of the process, evidence of gravity doing its thing. The two pooling swathes of mossy green at the top of the canvas contrast with the delicate tendrils which reach up the canvas on the left hand side. Frankenthaler reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell, not in how their paintings look, but in how they let the paint speak, allowing a sense of openness and experimentation in their work. "Aerie" feels like a conversation, a question posed in color, with no single answer.