Yellow Jack 1985

Helen Frankenthaler made this print, Yellow Jack, using lithography to create a striking image with a very limited palette. The black ink is really dominant, but then those gestures of white ink seem to dance on top. I’m drawn to the white mark in the upper right, it’s a kind of vortex, or a dense scribble that somehow resolves itself into a kind of radiant orb, or maybe a very abstract, almost diagrammatic moon. Those looping marks make me think about Cy Twombly. It’s the kind of gesture that feels totally free, almost unconscious, but it’s been placed so deliberately in this deep, dark space. The yellow border of the image feels like a frame or a stage for this drama, creating a really nice tension. Frankenthaler’s work often uses these kinds of contrasts, playing with light and dark, solid forms and lyrical gestures. It leaves you with more questions than answers, which, for me, is always a good thing in art.