Behind the Print | Divertimento by Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) was commissioned by the Hartford Art School to create a print as part of a workshop in the spring of 1982, however Divertimento was not completed until early 1983. The spontaneous spirit of the lithograph belies the arduous process of Frankenthaler and her collaborator, printer John Hutchenson. The print went through numerous changes over multiple proofing sessions before the final iteration was approved by the artist.

Taking its title from the lighthearted 18th-century musical genre, Divertimento exemplifies the artist’s skill and mastery in the art of printmaking. Vibrant layers of cadmium and pink lithographic ink spill across the paper; this compositional affinity with her color-field paintings from the same period showcases the translation of her visual language into the lithographic form.

Frankenthaler’s printmaking practice began in 1961 when she executed her first lithograph at the encouragement of Tatyana Grosman, founder of Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE). Printmaking promised endless opportunities for experimentation, and she was immediately hooked. To Frankenthaler, printmaking was not simply a means to reproduce her paintings but a separate practice to be developed in tandem with her work in other media. “There are no rules, that is one thing I say about every medium, every picture…” she expressed. “That is how art is born, that is how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules, that is what invention is about.”