Willem De Kooning

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Willem De Kooning was born in 1904 in Rotterdem, the Netherlands. He enrolled in classes at the Rotterdem Academy of Fine Art which he was apprenticed to a commercial art and decorating firm and later, working for an art director. He visited museums in Belgium in 1924 and completed further studies in Brussels and Antwerp. In 1926 Willem left Europe and arrived in New York City as a stowaway. In 1927 he met Stuart Davis, Arshile Gorky …

…and scratchy. Tone has also been employed to insinuate form and characteristics with the dominant colour in the piece being pink. This is reminiscent of many of De Kooning's Women works where pink is utilised to portray their sexuality and femininity. The eye is first drawn to the star's face, especially her red pouting lips and large, heavily eyelashed eyes; another reference to her sex-symbol status and the consequential treatment of her as an object.