Object number2016.19.1
Bay Area Sunday VI
Date1982
Artist
Helen Frankenthaler
(American, 1928 - 2011)
Published by
Crown Point Press
CultureAmerican
MediumHand-painted monotype on thick handmade paper
DimensionsImage: 26 3/16 x 29 1/2 in. (66.5 x 75 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Virginia Johnson, class of 1952
On View
Not on viewPeriod20th c
Classification(s)
SignedOn recto, signed lower right corner in pencil: Frankenthaler;
on verso, signed upper right: Frankenthaler
InscribedOn recto, by artist, lower right corner in pencil: '82;
on verso, by artist, 1982 / "Bay Area Sunday - VI";
by unidentified hand, upper center within a triangle: 5 -6; lower center edge: EXP - H. F. - 1-#6-1982
Label TextHelen Frankenthaler was a renowned mid-century painter, poised at the forefront of the Abstract Expressionist movement. She is known for her signature process of soaking washes of oil paint into unprimed canvas, giving her abstract work a distinctly airy and dynamic feel. In this enigmatic and sunny piece, Bay Area Sunday VI, we see an example of Frankenthaler’s monotype work, a type of printmaking that results in one-of-a-kind prints. Frankenthaler would layer gestural shapes onto a printing plate, then print the image onto paper, sometimes adding layers of oil paint atop the print itself. This monotype is one of twenty-eight made by the artist during a short residency in August 1982 at the Institute of Experimental Printmaking in San Francisco. As we compare these monotype series to her paintings, there is a beautiful continuity of improvisation, spontaneity, and fluidity throughout. In Bay Area Sunday VI, we see these qualities in a landscape-like abstraction, almost flowing across the paper. These monotypes encompass a sense of movement and atmosphere, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the layers of vibrant hues, subtle tonal variations, and the interplay of shapes. Her monotypes and painting work alike remain a testament to her bold experimentation and her commitment to pushing the boundaries of artmaking, cementing her legacy as a pioneer in the world of abstract art and inspiring countless artists to come.
Niamh Mulligan ’25
DescriptionRich golden yellow pools of color with circles of a slightly neon yellow along the left middle, a large pink splotch in the upper left and a brushy black line coming from the right of it and extending to the upper right quadrant. The work appears almost like a large watercolor with pools of bleeding color.
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