Thinker

Dana Frankfort's works are an interesting combination of the visual and the verbal. Reminiscent of graffiti and street art in her use of simple and concise words, roughly and liberally painted, they seem to literally speak to their audience. This is achieved not only through the use of a word as the subject of the work, but through the application and colours of the paint, causing them to often seem abrupt and dominating. The painterly quality of the works captures the connotations of the words themselves. The stark and monumental letting of Thinker is almost an order rather than a description, the paint applied thickly and forcefully, with conviction. In the repetition of Believe Believe Believe, Frankfort seems to be commenting on the nature of belief itself, as by the end of the word, the pink paint has been applied so liberally that it obscures the final letters, making the canvas hazy and almost unreadable. The pink also seems to blend more with its purple background, it is far less defined and clear cut. The works are thus more considered than the graffiti tags they echo, adding a new depth to the use of the word in such art.

As a result of overlapping or just sheer scale, the lines and curves of the letters also seem to make shapes, turning the figurative word into an almost abstract combination of forms. The colours which Frankfort use also have a great deal of impact upon this, highlighting or obscuring the outlines of the letters, and are also reminiscent of the works of the famed American colour field painters Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland. Thinker and Believe Believe Believe are therefore interesting examples of contemporary American painting, expanding upon older traditions and adding a painterly depth and heritage to street-style art.