Willem de Kooning: Tracing the Figure
At the forefront of modern art during the 1950s, painter Willem de Kooning secured his place in art history with the unveiling of his "Woman" series. Colorful, brash paintings composed of bold, violent brush strokes were seen by critics and viewers as vulgar and problematic but unfailingly important in their merging of abstract and representational forms. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles presents, in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name,Willem de Kooning: Tracing the Figure, a collection of drawings and studies that led up to the famous "Woman" paintings. Seen as completed works in their own right, these drawings bear de Kooning's distinctive draftsmanship of powerful lines, erasures, scrapings, and strong color. Blurred images of the figure coming apart at the seams, the works look as if they were made during an emotional explosion, though de Kooning's work process was known to be rather laborious. Four insightful essays complement the arresting images, including a remarkable discussion on the social ramifications of de Kooning's vision of the female form by curator Cornelia H. Butler. This well-crafted book is perfect for any fan of modern painting.--J.P. Cohen