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Lot Essay
In 1963, Willem de Kooning left New York City for the pastoral environs of East Hampton, New York; the dramatic change in scenery proved to be a catalyst for a shift in the artist's work. In East Hampton, de Kooning found himself deeply moved by nature and began to incorporate it into his work by means of a series of paintings representing female figures in landscapes. In these works, de Kooning returned to the subject responsible for his initial fame: the woman. However, instead of the aggressive, maniacal-looking women of the 1950's, this new group of women were an altogether more jubilant group. As art historian Thomas Hess writes, "de Kooning's pictures of the 1960s are drained of the anguish and look of despair which had so profoundly marked his earlier work. In the new Woman, the mood is Joy" (de Kooning: Recent Paintings, pg. 43).
The present lot, East Hampton X, painted in 1968, is a prime example of de Kooning's work from this period. The painting is a tour-de-force of bright, vivacious colors laid on the canvas in de Kooning's signature bold strokes. The scene depicts a female nude figure, delineated with the use of a fleshy-pink tone and outlined by a robust red. As Thomas Hess notes, one cannot help but notice the joy that seems to burst forth from the bold and confident strokes that de Kooning uses to indicate the figure. The painting, too, possesses a potent sexuality; it is difficult to look at the painting and not notice the figure's suggested glamorous red finger nails.
While East Hampton X clearly relates to de Kooning's earlier work through the woman subject, it also introduces the artist's newfound love of nature. As in Clam Diggers (1963), he hints at, rather than clearly defines the landscape. The figure seems to float, dreamlike and peaceful in an ocean-side paradise. She is simultaneously part of the landscape and yet separate; she walks the classic de Kooning line of being both abstract and figurative. The bursts of color surrounding her imbibe the work with a bucolic joie de vivre that harkens back to Matisse's early fauvist works. Additionally, the theme of reposed figures in a beautiful landscape references the art historical tradition of pastoral scenes painted by the likes of Rubens and Titian. In East Hampton X, de Kooning brings this classical theme boldly into the 20th century through his characteristic mix of abstraction and representation.
The present lot, East Hampton X, painted in 1968, is a prime example of de Kooning's work from this period. The painting is a tour-de-force of bright, vivacious colors laid on the canvas in de Kooning's signature bold strokes. The scene depicts a female nude figure, delineated with the use of a fleshy-pink tone and outlined by a robust red. As Thomas Hess notes, one cannot help but notice the joy that seems to burst forth from the bold and confident strokes that de Kooning uses to indicate the figure. The painting, too, possesses a potent sexuality; it is difficult to look at the painting and not notice the figure's suggested glamorous red finger nails.
While East Hampton X clearly relates to de Kooning's earlier work through the woman subject, it also introduces the artist's newfound love of nature. As in Clam Diggers (1963), he hints at, rather than clearly defines the landscape. The figure seems to float, dreamlike and peaceful in an ocean-side paradise. She is simultaneously part of the landscape and yet separate; she walks the classic de Kooning line of being both abstract and figurative. The bursts of color surrounding her imbibe the work with a bucolic joie de vivre that harkens back to Matisse's early fauvist works. Additionally, the theme of reposed figures in a beautiful landscape references the art historical tradition of pastoral scenes painted by the likes of Rubens and Titian. In East Hampton X, de Kooning brings this classical theme boldly into the 20th century through his characteristic mix of abstraction and representation.