Abstract Force - Homage to Franz Kline 1952

Audrey Flack paid homage to Franz Kline in this painting with sweeping black gestures, offset by a warm palette of yellow, orange, and pink. I can just imagine her in the studio, layering those colors, maybe scrubbing them in, wiping them away, trying to find that balance between control and chaos. What’s so interesting here is how the painting seems to be constantly shifting, emerging through trial, error, and intuition. You see these bold, confident strokes, but then you also notice the drips and splatters, the little imperfections that reveal the artist’s hand. It makes you wonder what she was thinking when she made it. Was she wrestling with Kline’s legacy? Was she trying to find her own voice within this tradition of abstract expressionism? Look at that one spot of bright orange at the bottom. It’s like a little burst of energy, a reminder that painting is a physical act, an embodied expression. Flack’s not just copying Kline, she’s engaging with him, pushing back against him, and ultimately finding her own way. It reminds us that artists are always in conversation with each other.