BETA
Chapter 1
The pioneers of the drip and splash
Chapter 2
Outsmarting the boys' club
Chapter 3
Radical breakthroughs in technique
Chapter 4
Broadening the canvas globally and culturally
Ch 3 · Radical breakthroughs in technique
andy Match signature brushstrokes to discover the overlooked women of Abstract Expressionism.
andy Perle Fine's Rhythmic Grids
Weaving threads of color on a pencil grid, making the silence glow
andy In 1952, she created Mountains and Sea by pouring turpentine-thinned oil paint onto unprimed canvas, producing luminous washes.
Quiz
What is the title of Helen Frankenthaler's landmark 1952 painting created using her new soak-stain method?
Quiz
What was the name of the revolutionary painting technique invented by Helen Frankenthaler in 1952?
Quiz
Which San Francisco artist spent eight years painting a single, massive work called 'The Rose'?
Quiz
Approximately how much did Jay DeFeo's monumental painting 'The Rose' weigh when it was finished?
Fun Fact
Heavy art: Jay DeFeo's painting 'The Rose' grew so thick with paint layers that forklift operators had to be hired to move it out of her apartment.
Quiz
Instead of painting what she saw in front of her, what did Joan Mitchell try to capture on her canvases?
Quiz
What format did Joan Mitchell frequently use for her massive paintings to create an immersive environment?
Glossary
soak-stain (noun)
A painting method in which thinned pigment is poured onto unprimed canvas, absorbing directly into the fabric's weave. Helen Frankenthaler pioneered this technique in 1952 with her landmark masterpiece, Mountains and Sea.
A painting method in which thinned pigment is poured onto unprimed canvas, absorbing directly into the fabric's weave. Helen Frankenthaler pioneered this technique in 1952 with her landmark masterpiece, Mountains and Sea.
Quiz
Which famous European modernist painter and teacher instructed Perle Fine in New York?
Quiz
How did Perle Fine's abstract paintings differ from the completely chaotic style of many of her peers?