Freefall 1992

Helen Frankenthaler made this work, Freefall, with paint on paper. It's really interesting how she’s using these blues and greens, layering them in a way that feels both intentional and kind of accidental. You can almost feel her process, each stroke building on the last. The texture is something else, right? Thick in some spots, almost like frosting, then thin and washy in others. Look at that pink drip—or is it a bloom?—right in the center. It slices through the blues, a total disruption, but somehow it works. You can see the way that she allowed the paint to do its thing, embracing the unpredictable nature of the medium. Frankenthaler reminds me of Joan Mitchell in her dedication to color and gesture. These women weren’t afraid to let their emotions spill onto the canvas. Ultimately, it’s not about figuring out what it means, but about feeling what it evokes.