The artwork titled “East and Beyond,” created by Helen Frankenthaler in 1973, is a prime example of the Color Field Painting movement. Classified within the abstract genre, this piece showcases Frankenthaler’s innovative approach to color and composition.
In the artwork, broad washes of color are applied in a fluid and gestural manner, creating an impressionistic landscape of hues. Dominated by a vast expanse of yellow in the central section, it is flanked by slender vertical bands of red on the outer edges. At the base, irregular shapes in muted tones of brown, black, green, and blue intermix, contributing to the sense of depth and visual intrigue. The composition’s simplicity, combined with the subtle blending of colors, evokes a meditative and expansive quality typical of the Color Field Painting movement. The interplay of colors and the organic forms meld together to form a harmonious and contemplative visual experience.
