Willem de Kooning · Woman I

1950 – 1952 – Oil and metallic paint on canvas – MoMA, New York

Images: © Artists Right Society, New York

Willem de Kooning was one of the most important artists in the Abstract Expressionist movement. De Kooning was American but born in the Netherlands, expressionist but not always abstract. His “Women” series -described by T. Hess as “black goddesses”- is widely considered the zenith of his oeuvre

This canvas from the Museum of Modern Art is the most representative of all the “Women” series. “It did one thing for me”, said de Kooning about this painting. “It eliminated composition, arrangement, relationships, light – all this silly talk about line, colour and form…”. Heartrending, ruthless and brutal, these “Women” were a momentary return to figurative language after the splendour of Abstract Expressionism.

Text: G. Fernández, theartwolf.com