Tales of Genji IV 1998

Helen Frankenthaler made Tales of Genji IV using a soak-stain technique. Look how she’s poured diluted paint onto unprimed canvas, so it merges into the fabric. I wonder, was she thinking about Japanese art? The title hints at it, and this ethereal quality makes me think of landscapes dissolving in mist. Notice how the pink and brown hues cascade down, like watercolors bleeding into paper. Frankenthaler coaxes the paint to flow, drip, and pool, allowing these elements to dictate her composition. There's a certain lightness, a lack of the artist's heavy hand. The yellows at the base feel grounded somehow. The composition makes me think of the movement of water – the ebb and flow, the constant change. I bet Frankenthaler was aware of Morris Louis's Veils, and maybe even Turner’s seascapes. It's all a conversation, you know? Artists talking to each other across time. Painting lets us embrace uncertainty and find our own stories within the marks.