Inside the Mind of Willem De Kooning: 'woman I:' Anguish or Allure?
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Afshari 1
Arianna Afshari
Inside
the
Mind
of
Willem
de
Kooning:
'Woman
I:'
Anguish
or
Allure?
I. Introduction
Willem de Kooning's women portraits are arguably some of the most
recognizable abstract expressionist pieces of the 20th century. However, they
are more often than not, the recipients of a less than positive response. Many
viewers have noted that de Kooning's woman portraits, 'Woman I', in particular;
seem to portray anything from witches, to "vulgar, stupid whores." In this paper,
the argument will be made that each of the unfinished stages, along with the final
image of de Kooning's 'Woman I' portrait, display some sort of contemporary
alluring femme fatale imagery, or crude, anguished female imagery, in which
changed throughout the process of his creation of 'Woman I. The main evidence
to be provided by the influence of his early relationship with his mother, and ongoing
relationship with his wife, during each stage of the works production.
II. Background History
Willem de Kooning was born in Rotterdam, Holland on April 24th, 1904. When
his parents, Leendert and Cornelia divorced in 1909, the court assigned custody
of five-year-old Willem to his father, due to Cornelia's rage and unstable
punishments. Cornelia, of course, enraged by the decision of authorities,
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kidnapped Willem, went on to pursue additional court battles, and eventually won
custody of the child.
Cornelia has been known to be a tiny and very fierce woman who was
tough in her dealings with her son as well as with the world. Cornelia was never
thought of to be a model of a warm or nurturing mother. She was often physically
and emotionally abusive. Willem confided in an anonymous interview with a
friend, that she once came upon him as a child when he was playing with her
shoes. He spoke of how she kicked him savagely for a wrong doing that he
himself could never comprehend. It was then, that Willem admitted to taking
refuge from his mother's temper in drawing.
After studying at the Academie vor Beeldende Kunsten en Technische
Wetenschappen, de Kooning made his voyage to America at the age of twentyone
in 1926. By doing so, de Kooning may have physically removed himself from
the presence of his mother, however it is evident in his works, especially that of
'Woman I' that she still had an emotional hold on him, as to be discussed later in
this essay. 1
III. Bill and Elaine
Upon building a new life in New York, de Kooning continued to progress in
his art career, and eventually, in 1936, met his wife, Elaine Fried. In an interview
with Elaine, she recalls: "From the first time I met Bill de Kooning, I just knew that
1
Hess, Thomas B. Willem De Kooning. New York: G. Braziller, 1959.
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I had met the most important person I would ever know. I was mesmerized. Even
then I knew that he was a genius, a great painter--the most important painter at
work in America. And I knew that I would marry him." One might find it
interesting that Elaine would say such a thing, considering that at the time she
met de Kooning, she was still with another lover. Upon researching more about
Elaine's character however, one finds it not unusual for Elaine to have had
multiple lovers at once, as it seems to have been an ongoing theme throughout
Bill and Elaine's marriage.
The attraction was not just one-sided between Bill and Elaine. It has been
documented that Bill, along with many other men admired Elaine. "A femme
fatale," says artist Will Barnet. "Men were always after Elaine. She was very
beautiful and very lively." Another anonymous (female) friend of Elaine's also
writes: "I've always thought Elaine thought of herself as a great courtesan--a
woman who used sex and allure and charm to control an empire." 2
Shortly after their marriage, Elaine made it known to Bill that she had been
having an affair with another artist. There has been speculation that she may
have told him this as payback for him not paying enough attention to her, and for
snapping at her for interrupting him in his studio one day. Those who saw Bill
and Elaine's relationship from the outside looking in, saw Bill's ongoing trend of
sex, violence,
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