ANationalBookCriticsCirclefinalist-OneofVogue’sBestBooksoftheYearAdazzlingbiographyofoneofthetwentiethcentury’smostrespectedpainters,HelenFrankenthaler,asshecameofageasanartistinpostwarNewYork“ThemagicofAlexanderNemerov’sportraitofHelenFrankenthalerinFiercePoiseisthatitreadslikeoneofHelen’spaintings.HispoeticdescriptionsofherworkandhisrichinsightsintotheyearswhenHelenmadeherfirstartisticbreakthroughsarebothlightandlush,seeminglyeasyandyetprofound.Hisbookisanodetoatrulygreatartistwho,someseventyyearsafterthisstorybegins,weareonlynowbeginningtounderstand.“―MaryGabriel,authorofNinthStreetWomenAtthedawnofthe1950s,apromisinganddedicatedyoungpainternamedHelenFrankenthaler,freshoutofcollege,movedbackhometoNewYorkCitytomakehername.Bythedecade’send,shehadsucceededinestablishingherselfasanimportantAmericanartistofthepostwarperiod.Intheyearsinbetween,shemadesomeofthemostdaring,head-turningpaintingsofherdayandalsocameintoherownasawoman:travelingtheworld,fallinginandoutoflove,andengaginginanongoingartisticeducation.Shealsoexperiencedanew―andlefthermarkon―thecityinwhichshehadbeenraisedinprivilegeasthedaughterofajudge,evenassheleftthesecurityofthatworldtopursueherartisticambitions.BroughttovividlifebyacclaimedarthistorianAlexanderNemerov,thesedefiningmoments--fromherfirstawedencounterwithJacksonPollock’sdrippaintingstoherfirstsologalleryshowtohertumultuousbreakupwitheminentartcriticClementGreenberg―compriseaportraitasboldanddistinctiveasthepainterherself.InspiredbyPollockandtheothermaletitansofabstractexpressionismbutcommittedtochartingherowncourse,Frankenthalerwasanartistwhosetalentwasmatchedonlybyherunapologeticdeterminationtodistinguishherselfinaman’sworld.FiercePoiseisanexhilaratingridethroughNewYork’s1950sartsceneandabrilliantportraitofayoungartistthroughthemomentsthatshapedher.
