What is abstract expressionism, and what is the point?  These are the fundamentals question that artists such as Willem de Kooning don’t answer, but rather leave it up to the gazer to figure out.  The MoMA’s exhibition of de Kooning’s work pleasantly surprised me by surpassing my expectations of what an exhibit of abstract expressionism would convey.

The first group of pictures to captivate my attention was the large “Woman Series,” each of which were constantly revised by de Kooning.  Larger shapes filled the middle of the canvas and served as focal points for the rest of the piece.  Although obscured by many diagonal lines and colors, a feminine figure was clearly evident in these paintings.  De Kooning also flirted with other figurative styles characterized by enamel on cardboard or composition board.  Personally my eye did not make out people in those artworks, but rather figures resembling letters and numbers.

My favorite pieces, “The Time of Fire” and “January First” were oil and enamel on giant canvasses.  They each showcase a parallel style: a barrage of brushstrokes to the point where no dominant figures materialize.  The last series which impacted me were the large Untitled Series of the early 80’s.  Recurrent themes in these were the dominant background color, oftentimes white, contrasting colorful, yet graceful lines.  These refined brushstrokes, although abstract, would culminate into different figures and shapes.  For instance, I am convinced “Untitled 5” (shown below) is a waterfall.

Thus, the de Kooning exhibit is definitely one of the more interesting ones I experienced this year.  Instead of arbitrarily admiring random brush strokes, I was able to truly witness a progression in De Kooning’s style as my tour of the exhibit progressed. Unfortunately, it is hard to distinguish and recall most of the paintings I saw, for many of them shared the same name, “Untitled.”