Jacob's Ladder
Helen Frankenthaler
American, 1928–2011
1957
An oil on canvas in which Frankenthaler diluted and stained the raw surface to create luminous, organic washes and gestural splashes that read like a vertical, lyrical ascent.
Standing before the nine-foot canvas you are immersed in airy, translucent veils of coral, sea‑green, and lavender where drips, blooms, and soft-edged shapes swirl around a central upward thrust that suggests both a ladder and a flowering landscape.
Executed in 1957, Jacob’s Ladder exemplifies Frankenthaler’s soak‑stain breakthrough that bridged Abstract Expressionist gesture and Color Field painting, reshaping modern painting by making staining and the canvas’s surface the subject itself.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
9' 5 3/8" x 69 7/8" (287.9 x 177.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Hyman N. Glickstein
Accession
82.1960
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
