Tag Archives: Willem De Kooning

The Contingent

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Robert Linsley

Another important concept stressed by Stephen Jay Gould, one that is very much relevant to art, is contingency. He is talking about the possible pathways of evolution, but in art we could say that all works begin contingently and move … Continue reading →

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Time Passing

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Robert Linsley

Cézanne’s card players have come up before on this blog. I find them puzzling. The subject is boring and the manner is uninspired, even if the pictures do contain lots of typical Cézanne. But maybe time does pass without much … Continue reading →

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Scale and Composition

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Robert Linsley

Shep Steiner’s recent comment affirms that T.J.Clark’s recent LRB article on Picasso and British art is worth reading. What Clark is responding to is Picasso’s skill at scaling the image to the size of the canvas, something that all great … Continue reading →

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Watery Pinnacle

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Robert Linsley

The best works in the De Kooning show, perhaps the height of his career, were in the second last room, centered around the piece illustrated here. Words like magnificent come to mind. The orchestration of color and of the scale … Continue reading →

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Lovers at MoMA

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Robert Linsley

On the topic of De Kooning, I would like to correct a misapprehension that started out as a feminist move in the politics of contemporary art but has become widely and uncritically accepted, namely that his “Women” series expresses hostility … Continue reading →

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Lines in color

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Robert Linsley

I started in art in 1975, and the first works of De Kooning that affected me were of the late sixties and early seventies. Seeing the room of these works in the show reminded me that they have a specific … Continue reading →

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Reversal

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Robert Linsley

I’m in New York this weekend, and having a number of strong experiences with art. Titles are still in the forefront after I saw Gareth James’ show at Miguel Abreu, but must swerve away from that topic to respond to … Continue reading →

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Spatialized Time

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Robert Linsley

Following on from the previous post, my characterization of minimalism, which may not apply to all artists associated with that aesthetic, could correspond to Einstein’s picture of space/time. A consequence of relativity is what scientists call the “block universe,” in … Continue reading →

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Echo Again

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Robert Linsley

Before carrying on with the topic from the previous post I’d like to pick up an earlier thread that also links the objective matter of abstract painting with the movement of the imagination. Somehow I suspect that quotes from Harold … Continue reading →

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