Images of Women

Why might an artist choose to paint a human figure?

What kinds of choices do artists make when creating an image of a person?

How would you describe this work to another person?

What do you notice about the application of paint and brushwork? The colors? The background?

Willem de Kooning. Woman, I. 1950-52

Let’s look closely at Woman I by Willem de Kooning…

If you were to recreate the physical gestures de Kooning made as he painted Woman, I, what would they look like?

Willem de Kooning. Woman, I. 1950-52

Venus von Willendorf paleolithic sculpture, image protected under Creative Commons by OkePinup Girl image protected under Creative Commons by Tor Kristensen

How is Woman I different from these other representations of women?

How is it similar?

What words would use to describe this painting?

Do you see anything that resembles a body or a face in this painting?

Let’s compare Woman, I to another Abstract Expressionist painting, Gaea by Lee Krasner…

Lee Krasner. Gaea. 1966.

What words would you use to describe this image?

Anselm Feuerbach, 1875 image licensed under Creative Commons

Let’s take a closer look…

Do you see any lines, forms or gestures that evoke a sense of the movement or shifting forms?

Lee Krasner. Gaea. 1966.

Anselm Feuerbach, 1875 image licensed under Creative Commons

How do they represent the female figure?How do they define space? How are their gestures similar? How are they different?

Compare and contrast these works…

Lee Krasner. Gaea. 1966. Willem de Kooning. Woman, I. 1950-52