Lily Pond
Artist: Willem de Kooning (American, 1904-1997)
Date: 1959
Dimensions:
Painting: 70 5/16 × 80 1/8 in. (178.6 × 203.5 cm)
Frame: 70 5/16 × 80 1/8 × 1 1/2 in. (178.6 × 203.5 × 3.8 cm)
Medium: oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1972.32
Label Text:While celebrated as a leading figure in gestural Abstract Expressionist painting, Willem de Kooning moved toward figuration and representation in the late 1950s. Disenchanted by the city and the changing New York City art world, de Kooning frequently sought refuge in rural Long Island. Inspired by the open expanses and sunlight of his surroundings, he created works such as Lily Pond.
Watching the landscape racing by while riding in the car to and from Long Island influenced De Kooning’s painting style. Here he uses broad, assured brush strokes that appear to rush across the canvas. Forms overlap and veils of color painted over wet color enhance the sensation of light and space. Distilling the color palette, de Kooning indicates the pond’s water, grass, and sky, but instead of portraying a static landscape, he sought to render the fleeting sensation and feeling of a landscape.
Watching the landscape racing by while riding in the car to and from Long Island influenced De Kooning’s painting style. Here he uses broad, assured brush strokes that appear to rush across the canvas. Forms overlap and veils of color painted over wet color enhance the sensation of light and space. Distilling the color palette, de Kooning indicates the pond’s water, grass, and sky, but instead of portraying a static landscape, he sought to render the fleeting sensation and feeling of a landscape.
On view
In Collection(s)