The Joy of Art by Carolyn Schlam

Author:Carolyn Schlam
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781621537052
Publisher: Allworth
Published: 2020-01-21T16:00:00+00:00

Takeaway: Character Drawing

Fig.65 Norman Rockwell, FACT AND FICTION.

WILLEM DE KOONING (1904–1997)

I am ending this section on figurative art with de Kooning, not because he was the last figurative artist, certainly not, but because the figure, and in particular the female figure, is featured so prominently in his work and inaugurated a whole new way of looking at form, or the lack thereof.

De Kooning was one of a group of artists known as the “New York School” who were also considered “abstract expressionists.” Some of these artists included Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still, and Philip Guston, to name a few.

When we think of de Kooning, though, we conjure up visions of his women. De Kooning took a step past Picasso to literally take his women apart, to deconstruct them. Form has evaporated and in its place is a garish scribbled non form, part female, part monster. The subject is almost completely dispensed with, but not quite. More paint than painting, more dribble than paint, but compelling nonetheless. This is a seminal iteration of the figure.

Look up his “Women” series. Do they appeal to you? Do you take them seriously? If not, why?

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