May 26th Backwards - Helen Frankenthaler

A 1997 lithograph by Helen Frankenthaler, featuring gestural ochre forms enclosed by a dark, organic outline on a neutral field.

May 26th Backwards is a lithograph by Helen Frankenthaler, an artist associated with the second generation of American Abstract Expressionism. Produced in 1997, this work demonstrates her approach to printmaking, where she treated the medium with the same fluidity and spontaneity as her signature soak-stain paintings. The composition features a central, gestural form rendered in a warm, ochre yellow, which appears to float within a dark, ink-like enclosure. The black outline provides a structural boundary, yet its uneven, hand-drawn quality maintains a sense of organic movement. A small, singular red dot sits to the right of the yellow form, providing a precise point of contrast against the neutral background.

Frankenthaler often collaborated with master printers to push the technical boundaries of lithography and woodcut. In this piece, the interaction between the layered colours and the texture of the paper is evident. The work avoids rigid geometry, favouring instead a balance of negative space and expressive mark-making. The title itself suggests a personal or temporal reference, typical of the artist's practice of titling works after their completion. By stripping away representational imagery, Frankenthaler invites the viewer to engage directly with the physical properties of the ink and the paper. This print captures the essence of her later career, where she continued to explore the relationship between colour, line, and the white space of the page. It is a study in restraint and deliberate placement, reflecting her ability to convey energy through minimal visual information.