Mountains and Sea
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| Mountains and Sea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Helen Frankenthaler |
| Year | 1952 |
| Medium | Oil and charcoal on canvas |
| Movement | Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, Lyrical Abstraction |
| Dimensions | 220 cm × 297.8 cm (87 in × 117.2 in) |
| Location | National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.[1] |
| Owner | Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. |
| Website | nga |
Mountains and Sea is a 1952 painting by American abstract expressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler.[2][3] Painted when Frankenthaler was 23 years old, it was her first professionally exhibited work.[4] Though initially panned by critics, Mountains and Sea later became her most influential and best known canvas.[5][6]
In 1950, Frankenthaler was exposed to the work of Jackson Pollock for the first time during an exhibition at the Betty Parsons Gallery where several of Pollock's paintings, Autumn Rhythm, Number 30, 1950 (1950), and Number One, 1950 (Lavender Mist) (1950), were displayed. She was intrigued by the idea of painting a canvas lying flat on the floor, and would later employ that technique for Mountains and Sea.[7]
In the summer of 1952, Frankenthaler went on a road trip to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, during which she painted landscapes there using foldable easel equipment.[1] Mountains and Sea was painted after this trip, and while the painting is not a direct depiction of a coastline in Nova Scotia, it contains elements that suggest a kind of seascape or landscape, such as the strokes of blue that join with areas of green.[8]