South Asia

Creative rationale

Over the tropical waters of the Bay of Bengal east of Chennai, India, the atmosphere presents a scene of intense heat and moderate aridity. The extremely high temperature anomaly of 16.4°C above normal, combined with relatively low humidity at 40% and no precipitation, creates conditions perfect for Frankenthaler's stain technique interpreted as sun-baked earth and shimmering heat mirages. The westerly wind at 7.6 m/s guides color flows from left to right across the canvas, while the rising pressure gradient creates upward-flowing washes of warm salmon, golden ochre, and sun-bleached teal that pool and fade like watercolor on hot, absorbent paper.