10/29/52

10/29/52 — Helen Frankenthaler. 1952.

Medium: Oil on unsized, unprimed canvas. Dimensions: 164.8 × 168.3 cm (64 7/8 × 66 1/4 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

10/29/52 illuminates Helen Frankenthaler's abstract approach to landscape. Created at a turning point in her career, this painting demonstrates the "soak stain technique" that she pioneered following a summer spent painting landscapes in Nova Scotia, Canada. Using paint thinner to liquify her oil paint until it was the consistency of watercolor, Frankenthaler introduced a new way of engaging with canvas, which she placed on the floor as opposed to on an easel. Here, the swirling, undulating forms suggest her affinity for the improvisational compositions of Wassily Kandinsky (on view in Gallery 392) and Arshile Gorky (Gallery 398), and the looping shapes allude to the signature aesthetic of her contemporary Jackson Pollock, whose work is on view nearby.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.