Bronze
Smoke, Altitudes, Door (Universal Limited Art Editions)
Between 1976 and 1979, Helen Frankenthaler created her Bronze Smoke, Altitudes, and Door series - the final prints from her era at Universal Limited Art Editions (U.L.A.E.) until she returned briefly in 2006. Each piece captures Frankenthaler’s deepening exploration of coloured paper, not just as a passive background but as an active compositional element. These prints reveal her move toward viewing the material itself as integral to the meaning of the image.
Helen Frankenthaler Bronze Smoke, Altitudes, Door (Universal Limited Art Editions) for sale
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Meaning & Analysis
The Bronze Smoke, Altitudes, Door series stands as a significant turning point within Frankenthaler's printmaking journey. Following her early trepidation that lithography’s scale and rigidity might constrain her expressive freedom, she went on to transform the possibilities of the medium to astonishing effect. At U.L.A.E., after her first collaboration in 1961 under the encouragement of Larry Rivers and Grace Hartigan, Frankenthaler found in printmaking not a limitation but a fresh field for innovation. These three prints demonstrate the artist's increasing interest in coloured paper, not only as the foundation of the composition but also as a framing element for the image, a fascination that would persist throughout her career.
Each print offers a distinct exploration of space and sensation. Bronze Smoke evokes a tactile merging of earth and air, its rich, smoky tones suggesting a materiality on the verge of dissolution. Altitudes guides the eye through ascending vertical shifts, conjuring a sense of buoyancy and spatial depth. In Door, shadow and form coalesce to suggest a threshold - a quiet invitation, the paper's surface pressing inward like light breaching darkness.
Beyond their formal innovations, these works engage with broader artistic dialogues unfolding in the late 1970s, a period when abstraction was undergoing a critical re-evaluation. Artists were increasingly interrogating the boundaries between mediums, the role of the artist’s gesture, and the physical presence of the artwork itself. In this context, Frankenthaler’s prints stand out for the way they fuse painterly spontaneity with the technical demands of printmaking. Her use of coloured paper, layered textures, and spatial ambiguity reflects a nuanced response to these concerns - asserting that abstraction could still offer fresh modes of expression, even as its conventions were being challenged and redefined.
