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John F. Kennedy

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Artist: Elaine de Kooning, 12 Mar 1918 - 1 Feb 1989
Sitter: John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 29 May 1917 - 22 Nov 1963

Date: 1963

Type: Collage

Medium: Charcoal and paper collage on paper
Dimensions: Sheet (irregular edge): 66.4 × 50.8 cm (26 1/8 × 20"); Frame: 83 × 67.8 cm (32 11/16 × 26 11/16")

Topic: Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie; John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Male; John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Literature\Writer; John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Massachusetts; John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Officer; John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\President of US; John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Politics and Government\US Senator\Massachusetts; John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Pulitzer Prize; John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Presidential Medal of Freedom; Portrait

Credit Line: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a gift from Elaine to Ernestine Lassaw, donated by Denis Lassaw in honor of her two mothers

Restrictions & Rights: Usage conditions apply

Object number: NPG.2015.132

Exhibition Label: Elaine carried this charcoal drawing to a high degree of completion and then added collaged pieces of paper to it. The likeness seems to express what Elaine was looking for in her efforts to capture the president’s elusive image: "In succeeding sessions of sketching, I was struck by the curious faceted structure of light over his face and hair—a quality of transparent ruddiness. The play of light contributed to the extraordinary variety of expressions. His smile and frown both seemed to be built-in to the bone. Everyone is familiar with the quick sense of humor revealed in the corners of his mouth and the laugh lines around the eyes, but what impressed me most was a sense of compassion."; Elaine trabajó a fondo este dibujo en carboncillo y luego le añadió pedacitos de papel a manera de collage. La obra parece expresar sus esfuerzos por captar la elusiva imagen de presidente: “En sucesivas sesiones de dibujo me impactó la curiosa composición de facetas que la luz creaba sobre su cara y su pelo, un velo de sonrosada transparencia. El juego de luces realzaba su extraordinaria variedad de expresiones. Lo mismo si sonreía o fruncía el ceño, sus gestos parecían integrados a su estructura ósea. Todos conocen ese humor ágil que revelan las comisuras de sus labios y las arrugas alrededor de los ojos cuando sonríe, pero lo que más me impresionó fue su sentido de la compasión”.

Data Source: National Portrait Gallery