Guess the Artist (Detroit Institute of Arts) #22!

This was a magnificent painting – keep in mind this image was taken with a phone in tricky lighting conditions. I think the painting is bolder than this (from what I remember). Do you have a clue who the artist is? What they may have been thinking when they painted this? The answer and interesting info below – be sure to check out the link to read more about the artist!

Are you sure you want to look? Ok… here’s the answer!

A N S W E R :

Merritt Parkway, 1959

Willem de Kooning, American, 1904-1997

Oil on canvas

Unframed: 80 × 70 1/2 inches (203.2 × 179.1 cm)
81 × 70 7/8 × 2 inches (205.7 × 180 × 5.1 cm)

Bequest of W. Hawkins Ferry

Details

Unlike his contemporaries Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, de Kooning’s paintings refer to natural forms and specific places or events, pushed into pure abstraction by his reliance on color and the deep build-up of paint to create form. Depth and perspective are subordinated to the flattening effects of his slashing, violent brushwork. Some of the “abstract landscapes” from 1957 to 1963 are based on the landscape around Long Island Sound, including Merritt Parkway, a local highway. Speed is suggested by the controlled thrusts of the brush while the naturalistic palette conveys the crisscross of the road through the landscape.
– Detroit Institute of Arts

DIA WEBSITE | Instagram | This Painting

Read about de Kooning HERE, from dekooning.org!