Monday Inspiration: Willem De Kooning



Willem De Kooning, Untitled, 1947, Pastel on paper. (source)



Willem  De Kooning, Woman, 1949, oil on canvas with charcoal and enamel. (source)

De Kooning's work is a little on the crazy dream-like side. It's not actually my favorite type of art- I feel like the marks made by him are a little violent- and that mixed with the distortion of the female body makes me uncomfortable- it's a little too graphic somehow- and I'm not saying that I don't appreciate it- it's just not my favorite- content-wise. But visually I like the works- I like the vibrancy of the marks and I like how the pastel colour choices contrasts with the aggresiveness of the women figured in the works, and the solid blackness of the lines. I also love the medium- Pastels, which are so transitory, and easy to smudge, they create a sense of depth on their own, just from their own dusty quality.