Inside the Mind of Willem De Kooning: 'woman I:' Anguish or Allure?

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,