Painted on 21st Street 1951

Helen Frankenthaler made this large painting on canvas, called Painted on 21st Street, sometime during her career, though the date is unknown. The piece is an exploration of muted tones, mostly whites and beiges, and the varied textures of paint. Look closely, and you can see how Frankenthaler built up the surface. There are thick impasto areas, especially toward the center, where the paint seems almost sculptural. Then there are thinner washes and delicate lines scratched into the surface. It’s as if the painting is a record of her process, of adding, subtracting, and reworking. I’m drawn to the lower left corner, where the paint swirls in a creamy, circular motion. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's paintings, where gesture and mark-making become a kind of personal handwriting. Like Twombly, Frankenthaler embraces ambiguity, inviting us to find our own meanings within the layers of paint.