Willem DE KOONING
1904 The Netherlands – United States of America 1997
Woman V 1952-53
oil and charcoal on canvas 154.5 h x 114.5 w cm
Purchased 1974
Accession No: NGA 74.385
© Willem de Kooning. Licensed by ARS & VISCOPY, Australia
According to the image information on the NGA website, this image is of a woman with her hands clasped at her waist, possibly standing in water.
Painted in America in 1952, I have to say that this was one of the few paintings that I felt that I really disliked.
There were others that didn't spark any interest in me, and to be honest the federation landscapes and colonial art bored me to tears. However, this was the only piece of art that made me stop and "oh wow, I really don't like that". Normally that's where I would leave it but obviously the point is here to think about why we don't like it, and whether we are supposed to, and what this might have meant at the time it was created.
Firstly, the initial element in this painting that I found uncomfortable with is the almost grotesque representation of a woman. To me, the colours on her face and her grin look clownish, and her bulging eyes are hideous. Like all abstract art, I suppose it's not supposed to be a flattering visual representation, but I find it hard to see past the garishness. As a sexual representation, I find it quite disturbing. To me it shows little of the things I associate with women- softness, curves, beauty.
Finally, I find the seemingly chaotic mess of the paint and the colour distracting. It is hard to make out any details and almost feels as though the artist doesn't really care whether we understand it or not.
René MAGRITTE
1898 Belgium – 1967
Les Amants
[The lovers] 1928
oil on canvas 54.0 h x 73.0 w cm
Purchased 1990
Accession No: NGA 90.1583
© Rene Magritte. Licensed by ADAGP & VISCOPY, Australia
This surrealist painting caught my eye immediately and I found myself thinking about it as I walked around the rest of the gallery, so I would say that it was possibly one of my favourites.
I love the simplicity in this painting- the landscape behind the people, and the subjects themselves- there is fairly little detail in their clothing or skin. I believe this simplicity is what allows the concept of the shrouded heads to sit nicely at the centre of my attention. The thought behind this, I read on the NGA website* that the painter "Magritte himself disliked explanations which diffused the mystery of his images. His matter-of-fact style deliberately eschewed the assumption that these images were simply the expression of personal fantasy or private neurosis. They are images calculated to unlock the darker side of the mind."
I like that, it is as though he is not pushing any ideas or specific imagery. There's little to tell anything about the personalities or circumstances of these subjects, which gives them an every-man anonymity, like a blank canvas onto which a viewer can project their impressions and feelings.
To me the covered faces represent a facelessness in society, losing one's individuality.
To others it might represent something like death or being blind, and I like that openness to interpretation.
Images from The National Gallery of Australia
www.nga.gov.au
* MAGRITTE, Rene Les Amants [The Lovers]
National Gallery of Australia
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?View=LRG&IRN=148052&PICTAUS=True
Michael Lloyd & Michael Desmond European and American Paintings and Sculptures 1870-1970 in the Australian National Gallery 1992 p.173.
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