Helen Frankenthaler and the Art of Collaborative Printmaking
Helen Frankenthaler’s journey into printmaking began in the 1960s, marking a pivotal expansion of her artistic practice beyond the color field paintings that had already established her reputation. In 1961, she created her first lithograph at Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) on Long Island, working with master printer Tatyana Grosman. This initial foray into printmaking would evolve into a profound exploration that spanned over four decades.
Frankenthaler approached printmaking with the same experimental spirit that characterized her breakthrough “soak-stain” painting technique. She was particularly drawn to the collaborative nature of printmaking, finding inspiration in working closely with master printers who could translate her artistic vision into new mediums. At ULAE, she developed a close working relationship with several printers, including Bill Goldston and Donn Steward, who helped her push the boundaries of traditional printmaking methods.
Her lithographs often featured the same fluid, organic forms and luminous color relationships that defined her paintings, but the medium allowed for different explorations of transparency and layering. Frankenthaler was fascinated by how the stone or plate could hold and release ink in ways that paralleled her canvas work with thinned paint. She frequently worked on large-scale prints, unusual for the time, creating lithographs that maintained the monumentality of her paintings.
In the 1970s, Frankenthaler expanded into woodcut printing, a medium that might have seemed contrary to her fluid aesthetic but which she embraced for its directness and tactile quality. Working at Tyler Graphics and later at other workshops, she created woodcuts that maintained her signature style while exploring the unique possibilities of carved wood and water-based inks. Her woodcuts, such as those in the “Cedar Hill” series, demonstrated how she could adapt her gestural approach to a more structured medium.
Throughout her printmaking career, Frankenthaler treated each medium not as a reproduction tool but as a means of creating entirely new works. She was known for her hands-on approach in the workshop, often spending days or weeks perfecting a single image, adjusting colors, and experimenting with different papers and techniques. Her prints weren’t copies of existing paintings but original explorations that often influenced her subsequent canvas work.
Frankenthaler’s commitment to printmaking helped elevate the medium’s status in the contemporary art world. Her prints were exhibited alongside her paintings in major museum shows, and she served on the board of ULAE, advocating for the artistic integrity of collaborative printmaking. By the time of her death in 2011, she had created over 100 prints, leaving a significant body of work that demonstrated how printmaking could serve as both an extension of and a dialogue with her primary painting practice.
Her legacy in printmaking continues to influence contemporary artists, showing how traditional techniques can be revitalized through innovative approaches and collaborative relationships between artists and master printers.
