Talks & Conversations

Finding Awe: Helen Frankenthaler’s Abstraction 

Part of Finding Awe
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This nearly abstract painting is created with flowing bands and triangular forms of mostly single colors in caramel brown, pine and spring green, apricot orange, plum purple, or fuchsia, with some bands of unpainted canvas in this horizontal painting. A wide, tan-colored band rises from the lower left corner toward the upper right. There are triangular forms in pumpkin orange to our left and another near the lower right. With the brown band, they recall hills along a valley. Pink, orange, deep purple, and fuchsia are painted in bands in the lower right corner and across the bottom. Above the tan band, a wide swath of spring and dark green may suggest hills beyond, with swirling yellow, black, pink, and blue under a patch of lavender purple that spans the top edge of the canvas, which could be the sky. The painting is signed and dated at the lower right corner, “Frankenthaler ’73.”
Helen Frankenthaler, Nature Abhors a Vacuum, 1973, acrylic on canvas, Patrons' Permanent Fund and Gift of Audrey and David Mirvish, Toronto, Canada, 2004.129.1

Use your senses to unlock new meaning in Helen Frankenthaler's abstract painting. Explore awe found in big ideas and in changing perspectives.  

During this 90-minute pause from your daily route, we’ll look slowly and mindfully at the artist’s work. You’ll be invited to look closely, wonder, and share your insights with the group.  Together, we’ll learn “awe practices” that you can bring to your everyday life.

The workshop exploring Helen Frankenthaler's abstraction will be offered on November 21 at 2:15 p.m. and on November 22 at 10:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. We encourage you to register for one workshop on this topic and to join us for future topics as well.

Ages 18 and up. Questions? Email us at [email protected].

“Finding Awe” is grounded in the National Gallery’s mission to welcome all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity. It offers new “awe practices” drawn from the research of Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California-Berkeley, director of The Greater Good Science Center, and author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (2023). Research shows that experiences of awe help support mental and physical wellbeing and open us up to greater creativity and deeper empathy.

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