Lot 32 N

Created in the early 1940s, the present work by Willem de Kooning reflects the fascination for the human body, a subject which he frequently returned to in the years that followed. Human forms can often be recognised in his works, although in a distorted and abstracted form. As he was not completely dedicated to pure abstraction, as Jackson Pollock for example, but always sounded out the tension field between the figurative and abstraction, de Kooning holds a special position in terms of art history at this time. “Distinctions between ‘abstract’ and ‘representational’ become worthless. All that counts is the act of painting as the highest tension of all the senses, in order to objectively reflect subjective experiences.” (Jörn Merkert, Stillosigkeit als Prinzip. Zur Malerei von Willem de Kooning, in: exhib.cat. Akademie der Künste Berlin, Willem de Kooning Retrospektive, Munich 1984, p.116). The expressive lines of the present work and the flowing forms suggest figurative elements, which are, however, dissolved in an abstract, almost surreal scenery. The color of the picture, dominated by earthy tones and lively green, creates an atmospheric tension, whilst the somewhat sketchy depiction conveys a dynamism which would become characteristic for de Kooning’s later style.