Helen Frankenthaler's Message from Degas

Ipad Rendering  of Helen Frankenthaler's Message from Degas

A painting by the wonderful Helen Frankenthaler. She was an Abstract Expressionist who specialized in Color Field painting. Her work is so beautiful and thoughtful. My attraction to her work is in it's similarities to watercolor paintings. She uses oil paint in a very fluid way. She began a new technique where she would stain the unprimed canvas by pouring paint on it, allowing the canvas to soak it in. What a fun way to paint!

Children Recreating Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961

The boys with their Ryman paintings

This is a great project for particularly little people. It's all about creating different textures and experimenting. Eamon (2) really liked it and Gio (4) loved the experimenting part. It was hard to get them to stop!

Living in Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961

Living in Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961 by ninamleung featuring hand carved furniture

Flower light, $65 / European bed linen / Fake fur throw / Nikko dinnerware / Jamie Young map globe / Wall mount mirror / Home decor / Jo Malone eucalyptus candle / Hand carved furniture / Round cocktail table

Ryman uses only white but varies supports and textures to communicate different thoughts and emotions. A room can do the same. Color is emotive, but texture can be too. The hardness of the marble coffee table evokes a different feeling than the softness of the knitted throw. Though all these objects are white, they reference different places and things and alter the mood. 

Dressing in Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961

Dressing in Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961 by ninamleung featuring a white blouse

Cooper Ella white blouse, $120 / Alexander McQueen white coat / Michael Kors highwaisted pants / Chloé brown flat / 3 1 Phillip Lim satchel purse / Irene Neuwirth 18k gold bracelet / Marc Jacobs daisy perfume / Illamasqua matte nail polish

Even though Ryman uses a lot of white, he is purposeful in his choice of support. In the case of Untitled 1961, he chose brown paper. I did the same here. I chose a brown support and covered it with white. This is inspired not just by Ryman, but also the beautiful film White by Krzysztof Kieslowski. The film really does utilize a lot of the color white. It's a sad film, but the visuals make it so worth it!

Travelling in Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961

If Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961 were a place, it would be......

Asheville, NC in winter!

Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961

Ipad Rendering of Robert Ryman's Untitled 1961

I've always loved Robert Ryman. One must see his work in person to really get it. There is so much texture and depth in his paintings. He may only use one color, white, but there's enough in it to make it interesting. In his painting, Untitled 1961, he uses thick oil paint on paper. His choice of support and media make each painting very different. I like that he has limited himself to one color and one format. It's forced him to be more creative and to explore further.