Taking Notes: Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler was a key player in the American Abstract Expressionist movement. Laying her canvases flat on the floor she refined the technique first used by Jackson Pollock by pouring turpentine-diluted paint directly onto the canvas. As the fabric weave of the canvas absorbed the pigment, organic shapes emerged and took form and function within the frame. This process of making became, for Frankenthaler, as important as the work itself and required the artist to use her entire body to pour and push gallons of paint across the canvas. Naturally she developed a functional workwear uniform of denim shirts, rolled up jeans and aprons that afforded her the durability and comfort that her work demanded. Designers such as Margaret Howell and Engineered Garments FWK continue to produce pieces of utilitarian workwear designed for everyday wear. Taking notes from Helen Frankenthaler some of our favourite pieces this season include the Margaret Howell Pull-on Denim Shirt and Engineered Garments FWK Grey 13oz Herringbone Apron.