A Power Trio from the last generation

"A really good picture looks as if it's happened at once. It's an immediate image. For my own work, when a picture looks labored and overworked, and you can read in it—well, she did this and then she did that, and then she did that—there is something in it that has not got to do with beautiful art to me. And I usually throw these out, though I think very often it takes ten of those over-labored efforts to produce one really beautiful wrist motion that is synchronized with your head and heart, and you have it, and therefore it looks as if it were born in a minute." In Barbara Rose, Frankenthaler (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1975, p. 85)

  Energy. Intent. Mastery. Innovation. Fearlessness. Communication, Power, grace, and imagination. These qualities are hallmarks of the paintings of great artists.  They are also the traits of this trio of first generation abstract expressionist artists- Helen Frankenthaler, (12/12/1928-12/27/2011) Joan Mitchell-(2/12/1925-10/30/1992), and Grace Hartigan (3/28/1022- 11/15/2008).

  There is so much joy in this work, and confidence. I have been thinking about the generation that came before mine and looking at paintings from that era. I starting looking at these three artists and came upon this fun photo, from a year before I was born to the day:

 Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, and Grace Hartigan at the opening of Frankenthaler's solo exhibition at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York, February 12, 1957. Burt Glinn/Magnum Photos

Just to inspire you to do your own search of the art of these three innovators, here is a taste of each:

"Tales Of Genji" Helen Frankenthaler

"Untitled 1960"  Joan Mitchell

"Sweden 1959" Grace Hartigan

Yes, three women ab ex artists, but that's not the key factor here. Three great, exciting painters. 

There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is about. Helen Frankenthaler