© Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Currently not on view
Pompeii,
1976
Helen Frankenthaler, 1928–2011; born New York, NY; died Darien, CT; active New York
Printed and published by Donn Horatio Steward, American, 1921–1986
Printed and published by Donn Horatio Steward, American, 1921–1986
x1977-2
In the 1950s, Frankenthaler pioneered a novel technique known as stain painting. She began creating prints in the 1970s that convey the same subtle quality as her paintings, with broad, minimal washes of color. Pompeii is an excellent example of her technique—its surface appears to have been swiped with a paintbrush, an effect achieved through the combination of aquatint and soft ground asphaltum, manipulated by the artist with a brush and her fingers. The resulting image resembles an aged wall, possibly a reference to the reddish-pink Herculaneum fresco panels that adorned the Greek and Roman Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Information
Title
Pompeii
Dates
1976
Maker
Medium
Color drypoint, softground etching, and aquatint
Dimensions
plate: 54.6 x 31.1 cm (21 1/2 x 12 1/4 in.)
sheet: 77.6 x 55.8 cm (30 9/16 x 21 15/16 in.)
frame: 102.5 × 77 × 3.8 cm (40 3/8 × 30 5/16 × 1 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Laura P. Hall Memorial Fund
Object Number
x1977-2
Place Made
North America, United States, New York, New York
Inscription
Numbered in graphite, lower left: 20//42
Signed and dated In graphite at lower right: Frankenthaler '76
Marks/Labels/Seals
Printer and publisher's blindstamp at lower left: DHS
Watermark: C.M. FABRIANO – 100//100 COTONE
Reference Numbers
Harrison 53
Culture
Materials
Techniques
Subject
