Interior 1957

Helen Frankenthaler made this painting ‘Interior’ with who-knows-what around about the middle of the last century, but it looks so fresh and so free it could have been made yesterday. The colours here feel so natural, earthy: browns, reds, greens, and blues. This evokes a sense of intimacy and warmth. The paint is applied in thin washes, creating a sense of transparency and fluidity. Look at the brown in the upper left; it’s not just brown, it’s a whole family of browns, melting into one another, bleeding into the canvas. The texture is smooth, almost like watercolor, allowing the colors to blend seamlessly. I think it’s this kind of layering that gives the work depth and complexity, without ever getting too heavy or overworked. This reminds me of the work of Joan Mitchell. Like Mitchell, Frankenthaler shows that art is always an ongoing conversation, always open to interpretation.