arthistoryclassnotes:

Helen Frankenthaler- Femininity in the Ab Ex movement

-Abstract Expressionism was very male dominated. Frankenthaler was actually married to Motherwell (one of the “essential eight” founders of the AbEx—i’ll do  post on him later~)

-she also painted on the floor like Pollock

-used diluted paints to create the pastel colors you see

-her coverage Life was very different from Pollock, she was pictured soft, feminine, seated on the floor with her work. Pollock was standing, commanding attention, more masculine. Frankenthaler wasn’t taken completely seriously bc of her gender.

-Mountains and Sea ( top image)- associated with Ab Ex, but also kind of different in that it was imspired by Frankenthaler’s travels, it lacked the pure emotional qualities of for other Ab Ex artists. Her diluting of paint/ applying it to an unprepared canvas was unique.

-Top Image: Mountains and Sea, 1952 [x], bottom: Life Magazine, 1956 [x]