Lot's Wife (section three of triptych)

Traditional triptychs from the Medieval and Renaissance periods were horizontal, with a large central image and two smaller flanking panels. Here Frankenthaler literally turned the practice on its head and conceived Lot’s Wife vertically.The artist proudly (if slightly erroneously) recalled: “I did Lot’s Wife in one shot. I went back to do something to it and then I thought, no, don’t turn back, don’t look at it, leave it, it’s good. That’s why I called it Lot’s Wife, because she turned and became a pillar of salt.” The narrative that Frankenthaler created the print “in one shot” is undercut by the numerous working proofs that attest to the changes in the final composition.