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In this portrait of Willem de Kooning, whose career as an Abstract Expressionist painter was just taking off in the early 1950s, the seated pose is open and informal and Willem’s facial features are essentially missing. However, the outlines of the head and body define individual likeness through sharp, jagged strokes of paint and contrasts of dark and light within a field of warm color.
Elaine drew and painted her husband often during the early to mid-1950s. This painting makes clear her interest in individual bodies and their recognizability. As she wrote in 1959, "I love the particular gesture of a particular expression or stance. I’m enthralled by the gesture of the silhouette (for portraits or anything else), the instantaneous illumination that enables you to recognize your father or a friend three blocks away."
Este retrato sentado de Willem de Kooning es de principios de los años cincuenta, cuando su carrera como pintor expresionista abstracto apenas estaba despegando. La pose es franca e informal, y las facciones son básicamente inexistentes. No obstante, la individualidad del sujeto queda definida en el trazado de la cabeza y el cuerpo con pinceladas firmes, de bordes accidentados, y contrastes de luz y sombra en un campo de colores cálidos.
Elaine dibujó y pintó a su esposo con frecuencia durante 1950–55. Esta pintura evidencia su interés en individualizar los cuerpos y hacerlos reconocibles. Tal como escribe en 1959, “Me gusta el gesto particular de una expresión o una postura. Me fascina el gesto de la silueta (en retratos o cualquier otra cosa), ese esclarecimiento instantáneo que te permite reconocer a tu padre o a un amigo a tres cuadras de distancia”.
Provenance
Harold M. Fondren, New York; (William Doyle Galleries, New York); (Salander O’Reilly Galleries, New York); purchased 2002 NPG
