Mardi Gras, 1987 — Fine Art

Mardi Gras, 1987- opens on a wet patch of paint laid over a broad field. Helen Frankenthaler worked with thin washes that sink into the ground, and here the marks meet in one open passage rather than in separate blocks. The paint sits in one soft band that runs across the sheet.

This fine art print arrives ready to hang, with a metal hanger fitted to the back that goes straight onto a nail or screw. The matte surface keeps the wet colour from shining, so the stain reads as a flat wash under a lamp.

It sits on the kitchen wall by the sink, where morning light hits the band and the darker edge of the paint. From the table you see the open field, and the single wet mark stays in front of the eye.