Accession Number1973/1.813
TitleSunset Corner
Artist(s)Helen FrankenthalerArtist NationalityAmerican (North American)Object Creation Date1969Medium & Supportacrylic on canvasDimensions 121 in. x 92 7/8 in. x 1 1/2 in. ( 307.34 cm x 235.9 cm x 3.81 cm )
Credit LineMuseum PurchaseLabel copyHelen Frankenthaler is one of the most important pioneers of postwar American painting. A major figure in the Color Field movement, which features large expanses of strong, abstract colors, Frankenthaler experimented with poured pigments and staining techniques in order to focus attention on color values and eliminate the potential distractions of brushwork for the viewer.
In "Sunset Corner," highly saturated blocks of intense color are "freed" from the crafted bounds of figurative shapes and surface textures. The result is a purely visual experience, not unlike viewing a spectacular sunset. Color Field work like Frankenthaler’s is frequently put to the service of chromatic sensation—something the viewer can experience through a sustained and concentrated immersion in the colored areas of this painting.
(A. Dixon, 20th Century Gallery installation)
Subject matterThe subject matter of this Color Field painting is primarily the visual experience of the colors, their relationships to one another. With its title, "Sunset Corner," the painting prompts the viewer to reflect on the oranges and yellows of sunset and the vastness of the sky.
Physical DescriptionA vast surface of orange yields in the very bottom of the painting to a swath of yellow, under which there is a line of white and green, and under that a thin black line.
Primary Object Classification Painting Primary Object TypeabstractCollection AreaModern and ContemporaryRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
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Keywords
Color-field
Lyrical Abstraction
Non-Representational Art
abstraction
acrylic painting (technique)
modern and contemporary art
sky
sunlight
sunset