Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist, who was active in post-World War II times. He was a part of the New York School together with famous Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Among these expressionists, Willem is regarded to be a rather conservative one, due to the strict organization of his works and unexpectedly warm and soft palette. In addition the artist used the traditional oil technique, avoiding the experimental manner of painting.
The works of the artist are usually complex and involve the direct interconnection between the viewer and the painting. The main point in such style of art is the energy and aura the work produces, and this could be perceived and appreciated only when one can actually see them in real life. Especially because all of his works are rather large in size and impressive, and it is not easy to obtain their grandeur from the newspaper page or online.
His famous collection of works named Woman which is actually abstract representation of the image of the woman. The artist created 6 main paintings that have the same subject matter and performed in the same style. One of them, which is called Woman III, is the most famous one. It was painted in 1953, so in the scope of the world history, not so long time ago. What is interesting about this series is that all women abstractly painted on canvas were very serious and mysterious. These painting was sold in 2006 for 137,5 million dollars.
The artist was usually engaged in painting portraits and was fully involved in this activity. One can look at these paintings for hours and always find something new and something that has not been noticed before. And this “something” is exactly the natural impulses that the painter had during the process of arranging the thick layers of paint on the canvas.
Although the painter was suffering from alcoholism, in the end of his life he did not drink. In addition Willem had an Alzheimer illness, which did not prevent him from living 93 years.
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