2RC
Editrice Rome Prints
In 1973, Helen Frankenthaler visited the Rossi family’s studio, Stamperia d’Arte 2RC, in Rome, where she translated her Italian experience into a series of prints. Employing etching, aquatint, and fine-line techniques, she created a series that combined washes of colour with painterly marks. The works - Paseggiata Romana, Ponti, and Pranzo Italiano - radiate a palette of soft oranges, lush greens and dusky pinks, each composition poised between spontaneity and structure.
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Meaning & Analysis
The 2RC Editrice Rome Prints series showcases Helen Frankenthaler's ability to translate her Abstract Expressionist sensibility into the mediums of etching and aquatint, using subtle colours and the interplay of forms. Created at a time when printmaking was often regarded as secondary to painting, Frankenthaler elevated the medium by embracing the technical possibilities offered by the 2RC studio, known for its expertise in etching and aquatint. Frankenthaler's prints from this series reflect her ongoing exploration of colour and composition, while also incorporating the influence of her environment and personal experiences in Italy.
Titled after Roman promenades, bridges, and meals, the prints resonate with the artist’s immersion in Italy’s cultural and physical landscape. In Paseggiata Romana, meandering pools of dusky rose drift across a soft orange field, suggesting both the vestiges of ancient walls and the ebb of late-day light. In Ponti, amorphous swaths of sky blue and moss green tumble across a pale expanse, evoking the sweep of wind over rugged terrain. Frankenthaler’s restrained compositions speak of immediacy: each variant is an intimate dialogue between form, hue, and the environment around it.
As an artist, Frankenthaler was deeply inspired by nature, landscape, and the cultural landscapes she encountered. The titles of the prints themselves evoke a sense of place and experience, grounding them in her travels. By integrating the essence of her surroundings into her work, she creates a bridge between her abstract forms and the viewer's emotional responses. This series not only reflects her technical mastery, but also serves as a testament to her role in redefining printmaking’s place within the broader art historical narrative.
