Helen Frankenthaler

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Helen Frankenthaler
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Meet the Artist

• Born in 1928 in New York City.
• She is still alive today.
• She had a lot of money growing up.
• Every month she received a magazine called
  Child Life. It had hidden picture puzzles that
  she loved.

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After high school Helen wanted to study art and
painting. She was exposed to many styles of
art. Do you think it would be confusing to
have teachers with very different ideas on
art?

Picasso
Tamayo
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Her Inspiration

• She met famous artist Jackson Pollack
• He was her inspiration
• Abstract Impressionism
• Splatter Art

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Her Painting Style

• She invented soak and stain method.
• She would pour the paint onto the canvas instead
  of using a brush and leave the splatter marks and
  drips to show the process of her work.

Smalls Paradise About a Jazz bar in
Harlem. Do you feel like you are swimming in the
painting?
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Can you see how the paint was poured onto the
canvas and allowed to soak in?
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Vocabulary

• Abstract
• Expressionism
• Avant garde
• Overpainting
• Soak Stain Painting
• Negative space

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What is the subject of this painting? What do
you think Helen was trying to convey in this
painting? What is the mood? What types of
shapes are presented in this painting? What
colors do you see? Why is the color blue in
the title?
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Seeing the Moon What colors do you see? What
shapes do you see? How does this make you
feel? Do you see the moon?
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Mirabelle What is the first thing you think of
when you look at this painting? Where did she
pour paint?
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What would you call these paintings?
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Look how big her paintings are!!!
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Look how big her paintings are!!!
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Compare prints
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Project Supplies and process

• Muslin fabric 12 x 12
• Paint in squeeze bottles (3 colors per person)
• Spray bottle with water
• Four students at a time will do the project out
  in the common area
• Everyone else will do the art puzzles until it is
  their turn!