Within her oeuvre, a viewer finds work ranging from subtly layered planes of color that rival Rothko in their restrained serenity and depth, to markedly unrestrained compositions of inky blooms and slashes of paint that emanate from the surface with the warmth and life of spring. That influence of nature on her practice is one of the defining features of a Frankenthaler, and something often prized by her collectors — the ineffable essence and beauty of the natural world impossibly embodied by a pure abstraction. It’s no wonder we at the gallery can’t stop thinking of her this time of year. We are reminded of her art in each opening bud and every golden hour.

In many ways, printmaking is a more natural home to Frankenthaler’s vision than works on canvas, a medium she grappled with to produce the thin, turpentine-soaked washes and stains she yearned for. In doing so, she often created beautiful but unstable paintings which continue to give headaches to the most talented conservators tasked with preserving them. In printmaking however, the medium lends itself to direct, thin, layered application to a rich and varied (and archival) surface — a perfect fit for Frankenthaler’s compositions. Furthermore, techniques like lithography and aquatint allow for an elimination of the hand of the artist when desired, increasing Frankenthaler’s ability to create works that seize all of the genius of abstract expression while discarding the machismo and narcissism inherent in so many of her peers’ work, or, put in her own words, printmaking allowed her to make images that look as though they “happened all at once.”

It is then, with great pleasure that we offer a grouping of Frankenthaler’s prints – a form so important to an artist’s practice who was, in turn, so important to the arch of art history and the shape of painting and printmaking today. Please inquire directly or email us at gallery@hamiltonselway.com.